Kotaku East

Tales of Zestiria Takes a Big Gamble With its Heroine

Games in the Tales series tend to follow a predictable pattern. There is always a hero, a heroine, a party of unique supporting characters, and a world-spanning adventure. But Tales of Zestiria breaks this pattern in a big way. [This article includes major spoilers for Tales of Zestiria.] Meet Alisha. She is the first female…

Mega Man creator Keiji Inafune’s 3DS action-RPG about a pirate penguin, Kaio: King of Pirates, has been cancelled due to internal development-related difficulties and “sudden changes in the marketplace,” reports Siliconera. Kaio was announced in late 2011, and was slated to come out, after a delay, in 2014.

New Layton and Yokai Watch 3 Will Be Announced Next Month [Update]

This April, Level-5 will holding its own expo in Japan and will announce a handful of new titles. [Update: Added more information about Layton 7.] The event’s official site lists the event outline, which includes Yokai Watch 3, Layton 7, and Fantasy Life 2. Level-5 will also detail future anime projects. This sounds like big…

The Face of Japan Is Changing, But Some Aren’t Ready 

Change happens slowly in Japan, but it does happen. You wake up one day, and things that weren’t possible years ago are happening today. Nowhere is that more evident than in the woman who will represent Japan in the Miss Universe pageant—but that’s to the chagrin of some who wanted a more “Japanese” winner. Ariana…

Tenchi is Back!

And all the ladies are still after him. Too bad it’s a bit of a letdown. Tenchi Muyo was pivotal in changing the anime landscape by helping to popularize what has become one of the most popular anime tropes: the harem. Thanks to Tenchi (and similar shows like Urusei Yatsura and Ramna ½), stories with…

Dragon Quest Heroes is a Solid Crossover Game

Dragon Quest Heroes is far from your standard Dragon Quest RPG. Rather, this game is as much Dynasty Warriors as it is Dragon Quest—and that is in no way a bad thing. Dragon Quest Heroes takes place in the Kingdom of Erusaze where monsters and humans live in harmony. However, one day, a mysterious magical…

One Man’s Incredible Make-Up Transformations

That’s TV host, actor, and make-up artist Paolo Ballesteros showing off his Elsa from Frozen face. He doesn’t always look like this. Nobody does. Here’s what he usually looks like when he’s not covered in cosmetics and not wearing a shirt. Based in The Philippines, Ballesteros has recently been making a name for himself online…

Let the Final Fantasy XV Product Placement Begin!

Yes, that Coleman. The Outdoor Company™. Final Fantasy XV characters will sit in Coleman camping chairs, cook on Coleman stoves, and pitch Coleman tents. How’s that for a fantasy based on reality? As reported on Famitsu and 4Gamer, Coleman camping gear will appear as in-game items, complete with the Coleman logo. I added the red…

The PS4 is Number One in Japan Thanks to Dragon Quest

Recently, Japan saw the release of the latest Warriors-style collaborative game, Dragon Quest Heroes. The game sold well, but it also had the added effect of pushing PS4 sales to the top of the charts. Sometimes all it takes in an old classic. The Dragon Quest games have famously been a bit of a phenomenon…

Inside Japan’s New One Piece Theme Park

Dubbed “Tokyo One Piece Tower,” this is Japan’s first large-scale One Piece theme park. As Kotaku reported last year, this theme park (and it’s explicitly being called a “theme park” or テーマパーク in Japanese) marks the 15th anniversary of the One Piece anime. Pretty cool, huh? Websites Biglobe, Fashion Snap, and newspaper Asahi got to…

An Airsoft Gun Versus… Saran Wrap

Finally! Somebody tried to figure out how many layers of Saran Wrap will stop an airsoft gun. Warning: This video features a man in boxers grabbing his nuts. A while back, comedy Tuber Megwin decided to see, starting with one hundred sheets of Saran and then going down from there. Hard man, huh? Previously, Megwin…

Final Fantasy Record Keeper is All About the Combat

Final Fantasy Record Keeper is an iOS/Android game that takes characters and creatures from almost every main numbered Final Fantasy game and lets your create your own party to fight against those creatures. In short, it’s a game for Final Fantasy fans who really love the old-school combat from the earlier games. Combat in Final…

You Might Be Addicted to Games If You Believe This Dumb Study

Silly research time! A study done by a Korean doctor lists criteria which supposedly show whether or not you are prone to game addiction. Reported by Kuki News (via tipster Sang) as well as on numerous other Korean sites, the study was spearheaded by Doctor Uh Ki Joon* at research center Korea Computer Life Lab.…

Smuggling 146 iPhones Looks Difficult

Earlier this year, a man was arrested in China with 94 iPhones strapped to his body. Impressive, no? Tell that to the man who was just arrested, allegedly with 146 iPhones strapped on him. Surely, that’s a new record. According to Tencent, the man was arrested at customs in Shenzhen, China, a port of entry…

Studio Ghibli’s Youngest Director Has Quit

Last week, Studio Ghibli’s Hiromasa Yonebayashi was talking about what kind of anime he would like to make next. This week, he’s revealed he already left the studio. Yonebayashi directed 2010’s Arrietty from a script Hayao Miyazaki co-wrote. At the time, he was the youngest person to helm a theatrically released Studio Ghibli film. Now…

How To Get Perfect Sailor Moon Hair

One of the most iconic things about Sailor Moon is Usagi’s hairdo. Just look at it. Isn’t that just terrific? It really is. Japanese site Naver Matome recently did a roundup on the ways to do this hairstyle. Over the past few years, there have been several explainers on YouTube. Some of them are easy…

Sony Japan announced today it’s ending the PlayStation Mobile service. After July 15, no new paid content will be added to the store, and after September 10, you won’t be able to re-download any purchases. No word yet on how this impacts the service outside Japan.

Cats Make for Wonderful Japanese Art

Yes, before there was the internet, there were cats. According to website Cool Hunting, an upcoming exhibition of cat woodblock prints is coming to New York’s Japan Society Gallery. During the Edo Period, cats were a popular subject matter for Japanese artists. Cats are cute, sure. In Japanese folklore, the animals can bring good luck.…

The Apple Watch Comparison Anime Fans Are Waiting For

Yesterday, Apple revealed a whole slew of information about its Apple Watch line-up. No doubt many anime fans have been wondering the same thing: How does the Apple Watch compare to the Yokai Watch? Good question! Let’s find out. Yokai Watch is a video game anime that took over Japan last year. In Yokai Watch,…

Dragon Quest Heroes‘ Special Attacks Sure Are Flashy

If Dragon Quest Heroes does one thing right, it’s making all your favorite Dragon Quest characters look incredibly badass. Like in all Dynasty Warriors-style games, the playable characters in Dragon Quest Heroes each have a unique special attack made to show off just how cool they really are. To see a compilation of these special…