Masahiro Sakurai has made it clear he would rather be known for his games than his personal life. The Super Smash Bros. and Kirby creator shared his thoughts in a recent interview with GameSpark tied to the launch of a new biographical manga about his career.
“I think it’s best if people just play games instead of looking at who made them,” Sakurai said. The comment came as he discussed his reaction to being approached for the manga project.
Sakurai admitted he was surprised anyone wanted to make a manga about his life at all. “I think I’ve always wanted to live an unassuming life,” he explained. He added that he typically turns down interviews that focus on him personally rather than on his work.
The longtime Nintendo collaborator has spent decades creating some of gaming’s most beloved franchises. He co-created Kirby at HAL Laboratory in the early 1990s while still in his twenties. He later directed every entry in the Super Smash Bros. series from the original Nintendo 64 game through Ultimate on Switch.
Despite his massive fanbase, Sakurai has consistently avoided promoting himself as a personality. He wants players to judge him through the games he creates rather than developing what he sees as an unhealthy focus on his private life.
This philosophy extends to his public work. When Sakurai launched his “Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games” YouTube channel, he deliberately kept it non-monetized. The channel focuses on game design education rather than personal vlogs or self-promotion.
His approach stands in stark contrast to other high-profile game directors. Figures like Hideo Kojima have embraced auteur branding and extensive personal promotion. Many indie developers build their games around direct community engagement and personal narratives.
When your life becomes the game
Sakurai’s discomfort with the biographical manga highlights the tension between his work and his fame. He has become one of the most recognizable individual creators at Nintendo alongside Shigeru Miyamoto and Eiji Aonuma.
The interview itself was described as a rare exception to his usual media approach. He typically refuses requests that center on him rather than his games. The manga project apparently warranted breaking that pattern.
His comments reflect a personal preference rather than a sweeping industry statement. Sakurai isn’t telling players to ignore who makes games in general. He is specifically asking that fans engage with him through his work rather than treating him as a celebrity to obsess over.
