Interview with The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy- Director Kazutaka Kodaka
I had the pleasure of visiting independent developer Too Kyo Games shortly after the release of their fully-owned and original IP, The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-. Kazutaka Kodaka spoke with me at length about writing and designing video games, the risks and rewards of self-funding, and his hopes and dreams.
This interview took place in May 2025 in Tokyo, Japan. My questions were interpreted from English to Japanese by Too Kyo Games’ Studio PR Manager Naoko-san, who then interpreted Kodaka-san’s answer from Japanese back to English.
Thank you for meeting with me today, Kodaka-san, and for welcoming me into your office. I’ll admit, I am not used to the heat like Tokyo has during these early summer months.
Kazutaka Kodaka: Thank you. [Kodaka-san chuckles and mimes his agreement about the heat]
Can you describe what Hundred Line is to someone who has never heard of the game before?
It is a visual novel tactical RPG with one hundred endings. Every time you play you have the opportunity to experience something different.
When did development of Hundred Line begin?
We founded Too Kyo Games in 2017 and began working on it at that time as a collaboration project between myself and [Director, Writer, and Designer Kotaro Uchikoshi], but the publisher cancelled our contract. After that, we started to refine the ideas, and finally we were able to start development again as a different project in 2019.
You are most often credited as a video game designer and writer. Can you explain what that role means to you, for those who may not know what a video game designer actually does?
Yes, of course. First, I start by deciding what kind of game I want to make and what systems would work well for that type of game, for example will it include combat where the character is fighting others? But most of my focus is on story driven types of games and once I have decided on that we start forming a team, pitching the idea to get funding, and work together to create the game.
For The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-, [Too Kyo Games] self-funded the project which makes for an extremely difficult challenge with lots of pressure to make it successful. In most cases, like with Danganronpa, the IP belongs to the company. So, even though it may be an original concept and idea, ownership of that goes to the company not the employee. This is a big reason for wanting to start Too Kyo Games and the inspiration for funding projects ourselves: so we can own our ideas.
With that self-funding must come an immense amount of risk. Is there something that you appreciate most about having direct control over your ideas?
One thing I appreciate is that I can really feel the player’s reactions and adjust my ideas as I receive feedback.
How do you feel about Hundred Line being someone’s first experience with a game you have designed? For example, for people who have not played Danganronpa or the Zero Escape series?
This game is not just for fans of my previous work, it’s a brand new title that everyone can enjoy. There are so many surprises in the story it’s impossible to get bored! So if someone likes story-driven games I think they should give it a try – with or without experiencing other games I designed.
Do you miss working on the Danganronpa series? (Kodaka-san’s answer to this question has been updated since the announcement of Danganronpa 2x2)
Actually, I’ve been working on Danganronpa 2x2, but I like working on new things from scratch.
How did you and Uchikoshi-san decide to base the game around one hundred endings?
Because there are so many games on the market these days, both from independent developers and large studios, we felt that a game just being fun wouldn’t be enough. We wanted to really push for something crazy and unique. A game that would be fun and impressive has the potential to reach more people!
So next time… two hundred endings? [we laugh]
What do you think was the most fun or rewarding part of creating this game?
Since Uchikoshi-san and other writers were responsible for portions of the story, getting to experience the game without knowing the entire story was exciting. The branches in the story are unlike any other game.
Considering there are so many branching routes in the storyline, how long did it take to translate the content from Japanese to English?
The localization teams did incredible work. As each branch of the story was completed in Japanese, the teams immediately began translating to other languages. All in all it took about one year to translate. We weren’t able to have it translated to all the languages we wanted to, but if the game sells well enough we would like to have it translated to additional languages.
Do you know how many English words are in the entire script?
About one and a half million words!
Wow!... just wow! [we laugh]
How many people contributed to the creation of Hundred Line?
About 15 people at Too Kyo Games in addition to freelancers, members from Media Vision Inc, developer and Jet Studio Inc. which created cut scenes.
Are there any plans for a Switch 2 upgrade for Hundred Line?
Depends on how well the game sells. If it sells well enough, we would like to provide updates.
You are very active on social media engaging with fans. Is that part of why you wanted to start Too Kyo Games?
[Kodaka-san laughs] To be honest, I also see a lot of negative reactions to my ideas which can be difficult, so if I don’t need to be involved in things like PR, I would rather not.
Most of the reason I engage with fans on social media is to send a direct message to these players to help them understand the game better. If I could, I would convince them all to buy one hundred copies of the game [Kodaka-san smiles].
But, really, the reason I am able to engage with players more than most other game designers is that I am able to drown out the negative reactions with lots of drinking.
[With this, Kodaka-san lets out a cheerful laugh though I get the feeling he’s only partly joking]
So, will you be drinking lots tonight after the news of TRIBE NINE? (The day before this interview took place it was announced that TRIBE NINE would be shutting down on November 27, 2025)
[Kodaka-san lets out another cheerful laugh and shakes his head yes]
Well, on behalf of all your fans out there who appreciate how active you are in communicating with fans and players — Thank you! We really appreciate it!
It’s funny, I used to work at a video game shop and my job was to sell games to each and every customer, and while I haven’t worked that job for many years I still feel like I’m standing at the cash register selling games to as many customers as possible.
I would like to talk a little about your creative process. Can you tell me in what order you create?
Honestly, I don’t really think of my work as a step by step process. I do start by setting up the overall theme, but without any real specifics. I think about other pieces of media that I enjoy like Attack on Titan or Evangelion and from there I dream up the characters and story simultaneously. Once I have an outline of what I want to do, I try to imagine the story from a complete 360 degrees — see each part of the story from every character’s perspective — and use that to determine what pieces are missing or need to be fleshed out further.
When you’re creating the characters in your games do you draw inspiration from people in your life? For example, in Hundred Line there is a kid who hates himself and thinks he’s worthless. Is there someone in your life like that?
[Kodaka-san smiles and shakes his head]
Sometimes I do draw inspiration from real people in my life but not for that character, no. [He laughs again]. The problem with depending on drawing inspiration from real people in my life is that the range of the character ends up being very limited. So instead I try coming up with things I have never experienced before.
Inspiration comes from many places — I watch a lot of movies, read lots of manga, and play video games. I often take bits and pieces that I like from characters others have created and combine them into my own creations.
Can you tell me a bit about how you got your start in the video game industry?
I went to university for film, this was back when I worked at the video game shop, but when I discovered how difficult it was to raise funds in the Japanese film industry I thought I might need to work in a different field. Plus, I really don’t like to wake up early [he laughs] and people in the movie industry have to wake up early so I decided to make video games instead!
So is that the real reason you started your own company? [We both laugh]
I can wake up later now but as CEO of Too Kyo Games, I am working every moment I am awake!
If you don’t mind, I would like to ask some personal questions.
What is happiness for you?
Sometimes I am happy and sometimes I am sad. I believe that everyone, even billionaires, feel this way. It’s important to look inside yourself and ask yourself questions about what it means to be happy and to explore what that means.
If you could have any superpower, what would it be?
Maybe something boring like predicting the future. I’m afraid of heights, so I wouldn’t want the ability to fly! [he laughs] I don’t think I need a superpower. I want to be happy and to make those around me happy. So, maybe that.
I think your imagination and your writing help make people happy. So maybe you already have that superpower?
[we all laugh]
Do you prefer physical media or digital?
I usually buy the physical release because I can play the game and then share with friends after. But I also play on Steam, so digital games are also an option.
How do you feel about the Switch 2 Game-Key Card?
It’s a little… complicated. It’s annoying. [he laughs]
Kodaka-san, thank you so much for your time today.
Thank you for visiting and thank you everyone for experiencing The Hundred Line -Last Defense Academy-!