How long does it take to secure the rights to someone's face? Well, as it happens, the process can be a lot more drawn out than you might think.
When Onimusha: Way of the Sword was first revealed, some fans of old samurai films immediately noticed that the game's main character held a striking resemblance to legendary Japanese actor Toshiro Mifune.
And this wasn't some kind of coincidence. As detailed in a new Game Watch interview (translated by Automaton), Capcom spent two whole years negotiating with Mifune's estate, in pursuit of his likeness.
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Having starred in numerous samurai-themed movies throughout an illustrious career, Mifune died in 1997 — but Way of the Sword director Satoru Nihei and producer Akihito Kadowaki were apparently adamant about using his face right from the start of development.
Interestingly, Kadowaki says that the deal wasn't signed until sometime in 2022 — suggesting that the game was at least conceptualised as early as 2020. Capcom's actually had this one in the oven for a while...
So, why was the team so set on starring Mifune's face? Well, aside from it being an iconic visage within samurai cinema, the goal was to create a hero embodied "tenacity" — the unbending attitude of a warrior who fights "roughly, covered in blood and mud".
Mifune himself covered that kind of archetype in multiple films, and that's pretty much Capcom's reasoning in a nutshell.
Way of the Sword's lead is a take on Miyamoto Musashi — one of Japan's most famous historical swordsmen. "We were very particular about making our new protagonist Musashi into a brand-new character," Kadowaki explains.
"And in that sense, we were absolutely determined to use Mifune’s face to portray him. With how much we were particular about the details, we are confident that he turned out to be an exceptionally great series protagonist," he continues.