Satomi Asakawa
Satomi "Asagiri" Asakawa (née Maekawa) is an former artist at Nintendo. She joined in 1998 and left in 2013. She currently operates a therapy business.
Early life
Satomi Asakawa's father managed a Sega arcade, so she grew up playing video games there. She later moved to Kyoto with her mother, after her parents' divorce. As a child she wanted to be a manga artist, was interested in photography, and studied graphic design. [1]
She didn't become interested in Nintendo console titles until her twenties, when she got into games like Glory of Hercules III[2], Donkey Kong Country[1], and Banjo-Kazooie[1].
Education
Satomi Asakawa initially went to college at a "specialized experimental film program" in Japan, where she studied stop-motion animation. When she was 26, she moved to Vancouver, Canada to attend DigiPen's 3D animation program[1], because she couldn't find a Japanese school to teach her 3D animation[2].
Her senior film project was One Big Banana[3], which she later said played a key role in getting her a job at Nintendo.[1]
Career
She dreamed of working on films like Wallace & Gromit or A Nightmare Before Christmas. When she graduated from DigiPen in 1998, she applied to a number of North American studios, and only one Japanese company: Nintendo. She accepted the role there in part because Nintendo was located in her hometown of Kyoto.[2]
Upon being hired, she was assigned to work on Ocarina of Time. Due to her senior film, One Big Banana, she earned the nickname "baby monkey" at work, and was frequently assigned animals.[4] In her early years on the Zelda team she designed characters like Kaepora Gaebora[2], the Bombchu Bowling Alley Operator[4], the white Monkeys and Turtle Island from Majora's Mask[2], and more. Outside of Zelda, she also designed a number of characters for Pikmin[4], as well as the Piantas from Super Mario Sunshine[2].
She eventually rose to the role of Character Design Lead for Twilight Princess. She has mentioned Alice In Wonderland as an inspiration[2].
The last new game she was credited on was Mario Kart 8, in 2014. She later retired from the game industry to start a therapy business, Asagiri. When asked, she stated that she realized that "mental health management is the key to your overall long-term health at work", and that she wanted to be the "wizard and a healer" of the party.[4]
Personal Life
She is married to Nintendo sound designer Toru Asakawa.
The Legend of Zelda Games
| Game | Position |
|---|---|
| Ocarina of Time | Character Design (as Satomi Maekawa) |
| Majora's Mask | Character Design (as Satomi Maekawa) |
| Twilight Princess | Character Design Lead |
| Spirit Tracks | NPC Design |
| Skyward Sword | NPC Design |
| Mario Kart 8 | Character Design |
Nomenclature
 Names in Other Regions 
| ||
|---|---|---|
| Language | Name | |
 |
Japanese | 朝川 里美 (Asakawa Satomi) |
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Abe, Naomi, translator. “How Satomi Asakawa Brought Nintendo’s Beloved NPCs To Life (Part 1).” DigiPen.edu, 21 May 2019, https://www.digipen.edu/showcase/news/how-digipen-alumni-satomi-asakawa-brought-beloved-nintendo-npcs-to-life-part-1. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 “The Lead Story on Bit Parts.” Nintendo Power, Oct. 2005, pp. 54–54.
- ↑ Asakawa, Satomi, director. One Big Banana, DigiPen, 1998, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4rf8Y7jNFbY. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Abe, Naomi, translator. “How Satomi Asakawa Brought Nintendo’s Beloved NPCs To Life (Part 2).” DigiPen.edu, 21 May 2019, https://www.digipen.edu/showcase/news/how-digipen-alumni-satomi-asakawa-brought-beloved-nintendo-npcs-to-life-part-2. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.