It’s not everyday you get to work with a true gaming celebrity. Here at Hudson Entertainment, we’re soon going to be treated to a visit from one of Hudson’s true all–stars, based in our offices in Japan! Meet Takahashi Meijin, aka “16 Shot”. You may have seen him mentioned in some of our earlier features, or even caught his tips on mastering Star Soldier R, but we figured with his upcoming appearance in the San Francisco Bay Area, that it’s time to shed a little light on who exactly is 16 Shot.

 

On paper, Takahashi Meijin, real name Toshiyuki Takahashi, is a Hudson executive based in our offices in Japan. Everywhere else, he’s known as “16 Shot”, one of Japan’s most legendary gaming celebrities! Revered for his uncanny ability to press a button 16 times in one second, Takahashi has become one of Hudson’s most valuable players and one of the top gamers in the world.

He reached a zenith when he competed on a nationwide Japanese TV show playing the classic Hudson title Star Soldier. Star Soldier today still maintains quite the following, but at the time Takashi appeared to compete, it was a genuine piece of gaming pop culture. An outstanding game in its own right, Star Soldier requires a combination of speed, technique, and finesse to be able to hold the top score. This is especially true when playing competitively as some of you have seen in our tournament! Through rigorous training, Takahashi Meijin was able to stomp the competition and gain nationwide recognition! Check out the video below for a peek at how he trained for the competition way back in the 80’s.

 

Takahashi Meijin later went on to be inspiration for one of Hudson’s best-known series: Adventure Island. Master Higgins, whom we all know and love as the main star of the Adventure Island series, is based on the likeness of Meijin, aka “Master”. Adventure Island’s debut on the NES was so successful that it inspired numerous sequels on several major platforms, animated TV shows, and even appearances in other games such as Saturn Bomberman. Although the fun gameplay and action of Adventure Island was key, there’s no doubt that the charm and appeal of the character inspired by Takahashi played a huge role in its success. Outside of videogames themselves, Takahashi continues to be a pop culture figure in Japan through taking part in numerous projects, most recently appearing at the Tokyo Game Show, one of the largest gaming conventions in the world.

 

Having achieved an iconic status, he maintains a popular blog, and also designs shirts for Hudson titles. As Hudson continues to drive home breakthrough experiences with titles like DECA SPORTS and Star Soldier R, you can rest assured that Takahashi Meijin will be a driving force behind them!

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Takahashi Meijin recently appeared at our DECA LEAGUE TOURNAMENT event in San Jose, CA. Keep a look out for details on future appearances!