VGDensetsu - Takayuki TANAKA / たなかたかゆき, AKA Tony Taka

Takayuki TANAKA / たなかたかゆき, AKA Tony Taka

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Games
Other video game related works
Gallery Part 1
Gallery Part 2

Profile

Takayuki Tanaka began his career in a design company, designing promotional flyers and storyboards for TV CM. He made a career change in the early 90s, joining Data East in the middle of the development of Karnov's Revenge (1994). He created a number of character animations for this game, then moved on to Street Hoop (1994) and its sequel (1995), still working as a graphic designer. Street Hoop also marked his debut as an illustrator, with a promotional illustration published in Gamest magazine.
He was then given the task of designing the characters for two cancelled titles: Ghostlop (~1996), a NeoGeo puzzle game, and the sequel to Windjammers, aborted due to difficulties encountered by Data East.
It was during his early days at Data East that Tanaka was given the pseudonym Tony, in reference to a TV host called Tony Tanaka.

Tanaka joined Kaneko around 1997, not as a graphic designer or illustrator but as a planner, a position he wanted to try his hand at. He directed the shoot'em up Cyvern (1998) and worked on the mahjong game Gals Panic S2 (1999). At the same time, he drew in his spare time and set up a website, through which he made a name for himself. This gave him the opportunity to work as an illustrator and character designer on the Korean game The War of Genesis II: Tempest (1998).

He left Kaneko in 1998 to pursue his career as a freelance illustrator and, in 2000, he founded his own company - RPM -, which specialised in creating games for adults. It was thanks to one of these games that he came to the attention of Sega and became the lead illustrator on the Shining series, enabling him to achieve a degree of international renown.

Games (in alphabetical order)

After...: Wasureenu Kizuna / After... ～忘れえぬ絆～ (Windows - 2003, PS2 - 2004)
Character design, original art (Source: in-game credits)

Arcana ~Hikari to Yami no Ecstasies~ / アルカナ〜光と闇のエクスタシス〜 (Windows - 2000)
Cover art, illustrations, character design (Sources: Tony Works Mitama ~Shinobi~ Arcana ~Hikari to Yami no Ecstasies~ ni sakuhin genga-shū + mentioned in an interview published by 4Gamer + in-game credits)

Azur Lane / アズールレーン (iOS, Android - 2019)
Character design / illustration (Source: mentioned by the artist on Twitter)

Blade Arcus: From Shining / ブレードアークスフロムシャイニング (Arcade - 2014)
Character design (with Amika Minato) (Source: in-game credits)

Blade Arcus: From Shining EX / ブレードアークスフロムシャイニングEX (PS3, PS4 - 2015)
Cover art x3, illustrations (Source: mentioned in an interview with Famitsu)

Blade Arcus Rebellion from Shining / ブレードアークスリベリオンフロムシャイニング (Switch - 2019)
Cover art, poster illustrations (Source: credited on the game's official website)

Changsegijeon Oejeon 2: Tempest / 창세기외전 2 - 템페스트Tempest, AKA The War of Genesis II: Tempest (Windows 95-98 - 1998)
Character design, illustrations (Source: mentioned in an interview published by Famitsu)

Cyvern / サイヴァーン (Arcade - 1998)
Planner (as Tony) (Source: mentioned in an interview published by Famitsu)

Dunk Dream / ダンクドリーム, AKA Street Hoop / Street Slam (Neo-Geo - 1994)
Graphic design: opening title, logo design, backgrounds and characters (as Takayuki Tanaka) (Source: mentioned in an interview published by Famitsu)
Reader's gift illustration for Gamest (Source: mentioned in an interview published by 4Gamer)

Dunk Dream '95 / ダンクドリーム95, AKA Hoops '96 (Arcade - 1995)
Graphic (as Tony. T) (Source: in-game credits)

Exstetra / エクステトラ (PS Vita, 3DS - 2013)
Character draft (with Katsumi Enami. Character design finalised by Amika MINATO-Minat's) (Source: mentioned on the game's official website)

Fault !! / フォルト!! (Windows - 2009)
Cover art, illustrations (Source: Tony WORKs Fault!! Collection)

Fault !! A / フォルト!!A (Windows - 2011)
Cover art, illustrations (Source: Tony WORKs Fault!! Collection)

Fault !! S: Aratanaru Koigataki / フォルト!!S 〜新たなる恋敵〜 (Windows - 2012)
Cover art, illustrations (Source: Tony WORKs Fault!! Collection)

Fighters History Dynamite / ファイターズヒストリーダイナマイト, AKA Karnov's Revenge (NeoGeo - 1994)
Graphic design: character animation (Source: mentioned in an interview published by Famitsu)

Flying Power Disc 2 / フライングパワーディスク2, AKA Windjammers 2 (Arcade / Neo-Geo?, unreleased – ~1996)
Character design (Source: mentioned in an interview published by 4Gamer)

France Shōjo / 仏蘭西少女 (Windows - 2009)
Cover art, illustrations (Source: credited on the cover)

Gals Panic S2 / ギャルズパニックエスツー (Arcade - 1999)
Sketches (Source: mentioned in an interview published by Famitsu)

Genmukan: Aiyoku to ryōjoku no inzai / 幻夢館〜愛欲と凌辱の淫罪〜 (Windows - 2002)
Cover art, illustrations, character design (Source: in-game credits)

Ghost Lop / ゴーストロップ (Neo-Geo, unreleased - 1996)
Character design (as Ukkari Tony) (Source: mentioned in an interview published by 4Gamer)

Love Kanojo!! / らぶ彼女!! (Mobile - 2012)
(Source: copyright)

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker / メタルギアソリッドピースウォーカー (PSP - 2010)
Designer (Source: in-game credits)

Mitama ~Shinobi~ / 御魂〜忍〜 (Windows - 2002)
Cover art, illustrations, character design (Source: Tony Works Mitama ~Shinobi~ Arcana ~Hikari to Yami no Ecstasies~ ni sakuhin genga-shū)

Partner: Sekai de Ichiban Taisetsu na Hito / Partner 〜世界でいちばんたいせつなひと〜 (Windows - 1999)
Cover art, illustrations, character design (Source: Partner: Sekai de Ichiban Taisetsu na Hito CG& Genga-shū)

Room with Lina / ルーム・ウィズ・リナ (Windows 95-98 - 1999)
Character design (Source: in-game credits)

Shining Ark / シャイニング・アーク (PSP - 2013)
Cover art, illustrations, character design (Source: Shining Blade & Ark - Collection of Visual Materials)

Shining Blade / シャイニング・ブレイド (PSP - 2012)
Cover art, illustrations, character design (Source: Shining Blade & Ark - Collection of Visual Materials)

Shining Hearts / シャイニング・ハーツ (PSP - 2010)
Main character design (Source: in-game credits)
Cover art, illustrations (Source: Shining Hearts Collection of Visual Materials)

Shining Resonance / シャイニング・レゾナンス (PS3 - 2014)
Character design (Source: in-game credits)
Cover art, illustrations (Source: Shining Resonance Collection of Visual Materials)

Shining Resonance Refrain / シャイニング・レゾナンスリフレイン (PS4, Switch, Windows, XBox One - 2018)
Character design (Source: in-game credits)
Cover art, illustrations (Source: Shining Resonance Collection of Visual Materials)

Shining Tears / シャイニング・ティアーズ (PS2 - 2004)
Character design (Source: in-game credits)
Cover art, illustrations (Source: Shining Tears Collection of Visual Materials)

Shining Wind / シャイニング・ウィンド (PS2 - 2007)
Character design (Source: in-game credits)
Cover art, illustrations (Source: Shining Wind Collection of Visual Materials)

Shinshō Genmukan / 真章幻夢館 (Windows - 2004)
Cover art, illustrations, character design (Source: Tony Works - Sora no Iro, Mizu no Iro / Shinshō Genmukan genga-shū)

Sora no Iro, Mizu no Iro / そらのいろ、みずのいろ (Windows - 2004)
Cover art, illustrations, character design (Source: Tony Works - Sora no Iro, Mizu no Iro / Shinshō Genmukan genga-shū)

StarHorse Pocket / スターホースポケット (iOS, Android - 2017)
Illustrations, character design (Source: mentioned in an article published by Dengeki Online)

Tsubasa no hatameki / 翼のはためき (Windows - 2000)
Cover art, illustrations, character design (Source: Digital Tony)

Valhellio / ヴァルヘリオ (Windows - 2011)
Cover art, Illustrations / character design (Source: mentioned in an article published by Game Watch Impress)

Takayuki TANAKA / たなか たかゆき, AKA Tony Taka

Profile

Games (in alphabetical order)

Other video game related works

Takayuki TANAKA / たなかたかゆき, AKA Tony Taka