"It’s my life’s work" - Suga Munemitsu on Utawarerumono, storytelling, Project Kizuna, and more

by Blake Simons on 26 May, 2026

Every saga must come to an end. Well, at least that's what the taglines tell us. Many franchises find that they always have room for one more sequel or side story, in a media landscape that never allows us to truly, fully let go. This is not the case for Utawarerumono, though.

Utawarerumono has become a strategy RPG/visual novel hybrid that draws on indigenous cultures and kemonomimi tradition to tell an epic, operatic story of cyclical love and loss. The series began in 2002 on PC with the original Utawarerumono visual novel, cementing its status for years as a genre classic before returning for acclaimed legacy sequel duology Mask of Deception and Mask of Truth in 2015 and 2016, respectively. The was followed up a remake of the original title in Prelude to the Fallen, followed by an RPG entry Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten in 2022.

The Utawarerumono series comes to an ultimate end this month with the final instalment Utawarerumono: Past and Present Rediscovered, which builds on the RPG mechanics and 3D exploration of its predecessor. As Aquaplus prepare to close the book on this long-running legend of masks, amnesiac heroes, and intertwining fates, we sat down with series writer Suga Munemitsu to look back on 24 years of Utawarerumono. As longtime champions of the series, it was an honor to do so.

RPG Site: Where did your love of storytelling begin? What inspired you to love stories, and what inspired you to become a writer?

Suga Munemitsu: My love for storytelling started as a child, when my mother would read me stories as I was falling asleep. As I grew up, I became more interested in gaming. Rather than becoming a writer, I was interested in becoming a game creator. I joined Aquaplus and ended up creating the Utawarerumono series.

RPG Site: I'm curious about what kinds of narratives have influenced you in your work. You mention literature. Have you drawn from cinema, from theatre also? There's something uniquely literary about the Utawarerumono series compared to other video games of its genre.

Suga Munemitsu: I had a bunch of classics at home. Anne of Green Gables, for example. Don Quixote and The Three Musketeers. When I was older, I started going to libraries to read light novels. I read a lot by the popular publisher Asahi Sonorama, their Bunko imprint.

RPG Site: At the start of your career you wrote a couple of games for other companies. How did you come to join Aquaplus?

Suga Munemitsu: When I quit the previous company I worked at, a former colleague was working at Aquaplus. I asked him to introduce me to the company, and I got in.

Utawarerumono: Past and Present Redisovered

RPG Site: Tell me about creating the original Utawarerumono game. What was the starting point of the game's concept, and what do you feel are the core tenets of the work that emerged from that?

Suga Munemitsu: The starting point was a fairly casual one. Because of my preference for kemonomimi (animal ears), I wanted to push this in the concept. But at the time, it was only a minor genre – it wasn’t really popular in the games industry. When I first pitched the project, it was rejected. I was asked for an essential reason to include animal ears in the concept. So I created a reason.

RPG Site: Aquaplus and yourself went on to revisit Utawareumono 13 years later with the sequel duology: Mask of Deception and Mask of Truth. Had you felt from the start that you had more stories to tell in this universe? How natural and immediate was it to return to that world and expand it?

Suga Munemitsu: I’d been wanting to for a long time, but I was always working on a different project. We also received quite a lot of comments from the fans that they wanted a new game, so it was decided.

RPG Site: What does the workflow of creating these games together with fellow staff at Aquaplus look like? Are character designs and visuals brought to you before you’re done with the main script? Is it a back-and-forth?

Suga Munemitsu: It's a back-and-forth process. Firstly, I explain the general image of the character and the broader scenario in brief to the designer. They come up with the design, and if we decide to proceed with that design, I stare at the pictures and begin to write in greater detail.

RPG Site: The characters in this series are one of its greatest strengths. What's your starting point when you create a character for the series?

Suga Munemitsu: Sometimes I’m inspired by games, manga, or literature. Sometimes, the idea comes to mind from scratch. It depends.

RPG Site: The games draw on indigenous culture, language, and iconography. Could you tell me about incorporating these elements, and where that interest stems from?

Suga Munemitsu: When I started working on this series, Western fantasy was prevalent in the games on the market. I wanted to create something related to Japanese fantasy, something with a Japanese aesthetic. I didn't want a cliched Japanese fantasy such as chanbara or Sengoku period stories, I wanted to create something Japanese but distinct. So I decided to focus on the local culture, and this is how I got interested in indigenous culture.

RPG Site: I'm really curious about your writing process. Do you plan the structure for the game, and then write individual dialogue scenes? Do things come to you in a non-chronological order? What's your process?

Suga Munemitsu: It’s different each time. Sometimes I start by building the overall story arc, and as I go on, start to add more detail into specific points. But then I end up spending too much time in one section, and I find out that I don't have that much time, so I go back to the start of the story. It’s a lot of back-and-forth, so it’s been a tough work for me.

RPG Site: How long does it take you to write each game?

Suga Munemitsu: About a year and a half.

Monochrome Mobius: Rights and Wrongs Forgotten

RPG Site: Love and grief feel like two sides of a coin in this series.

Suga Munemitsu: I’m writing as it is. To tell the story of a human being, there are losses and farewells, and there is also romance and new encounters. I wanted to incorporate those elements all together in one story.

RPG Site: What is Utawarerumono to you?

Suga Munemitsu: I’d say it’s my life’s work. From early in my career onwards, I’ve poured a lot of time into this series. Unfortunately, it’s ending!

RPG Site: You have Project Kizuna on the horizon next. It's heartening that you have more stories to share with us. Are you able to tell us a bit about where you’re heading next?

Suga Munemitsu: We can’t share much right now, but development is going well. It will take a while for it to be released, but please look forward to it.

RPG Site: Do you have a final message you’d like to share with your players?

Suga Munemitsu: I would like to thank everyone for staying with the series for so long. I actually have many stories and secrets that I haven't been able to include in the series, but sadly it’s coming to a close. Project Kizuna is also going well, so I hope players will be excited for that.

Utawarerumono: Past and Present Rediscovered releases on May 28 worldwide on Steam for PC from Shiravune. With thanks to Kanako Fujita for interpreting.