In a shocking, horribly timed move, head of Tecmo's Team Ninja and creator of Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden has stepped down from his position and announced that he will be suing Tecmo President Yoshimi Yasuda for 148 million yen (1.4 million dollars). Apparently, the suit is over “unpaid completion bonuses" and for "disingenuous statements" made towards him. I’m not sure how the Japanese legal system works aside from my time with Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney, but I don’t think that "disingenuous statements" are grounds for a class action lawsuit. He issued the following statement in an open letter to fans, which was posted on 1UP.

"I, Tomonobu Itagaki, hereby announce that on the 14th of May 2008 I filed a complaint in the Tokyo District Court against Tecmo Co, Ltd for unpaid completion bonuses, and against the President of Tecmo, Yoshimi Yasuda, for such unlawful acts as unreasonable and disingenuous statements made towards me, claiming damages in total of 148 million yen," Itagaki wrote.

Tomonobu Itagaki is a douche, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t deserve to get paid. That said, I really would like to know all of the details before passing judgment on either party, as the odds that Itagaki is legitimately owed money are just as high as the odds that Yoshimi Yasuda refused to kiss his ring at some point.

 
Related Articles:

Ninja Gaiden 2 Release Date Announced

Devil May Cry Creator Speaks Out Against Action Games

Ninja Gaiden Demo Hinted At