Koei Tecmo Calls Dead or Alive Characters ‘Like Daughters’ – Fans React!

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Summary

  • Koei Tecmo refers to Dead or Alive characters as “like daughters,” despite the series’ sexy content.
  • Koei Tecmo sponsors fan events but has taken down thousands of fan projects annually.
  • The protectiveness over the series extends to unreleased content like the Dead or Alive dating sim.

Koei Tecmo has expressed that it considers its “Dead or Alive” franchise to be much like cherished daughters to the studio, and it handles copyright infringements of this series in an unusual manner compared to other studios.

The “Dead or Alive” series was first introduced in 1996 in arcades, later being adapted for Sega and Sony consoles. Since its inception, the franchise stood out with its unique jiggle physics. Initially, the characters were designed to be attractive, but the creative ways fans modify these characters sometimes raises concerns for Koei Tecmo.

Based on reports from Game Watch through Automaton Media, at the Tokyo eSports Festa 2025, Koei Tecmo discussed their game, fan interaction, and their protective attitude towards the characters, likening them to daughters. Notably, Koei Tecmo seems relatively permissive when it comes to fans using characters or assets from the Dead or Alive series. They have even sponsored a significant fan event in Japan, Comiket, where numerous vendors offer derivative works inspired by various games and anime. This lenience may explain why Koei Tecmo did not take any significant action against Monty Oum’s series, Dead Fantasy, which incorporated many characters and assets from the Dead or Alive series.

Additionally, it’s worth noting that Koei Tecmo isn’t shy about taking legal action when the situation calls for it. Tomotoshi Nishimura, head of their legal department, has disclosed that annually, they shut down around 200 to 300 self-published fanart and comics, known as doujinshi, and approximately 2000 pieces of online fanart.

Koei Tecmo’s Daughters of Dead or Alive

Using the term “daughters” for the highly sexualized characters in Dead or Alive might seem a bit off-putting or awkward to some, given the series’ origins and creator Tomonobu Itagaki’s stance that both violence and sexuality are integral parts of creating entertaining content. However, this choice of words could be due to linguistic differences. Regardless, it is worth noting that the game developers strive to avoid portraying their characters in overly explicit ways.

It’s important to mention that Koei Tecmo doesn’t only request removal of sexually explicit content; they also do so when fan creations involve characters from unpublished games, such as the upcoming Dead or Alive dating sim, Venus Vacation Prism: Dead or Alive Xtreme. Fans can use this policy as a guide for what is considered appropriate in their fan works.

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2025-01-18 02:38