How Chuhou Joutai’s Susumu Takajima Helped Bring a Hand at Bridging Eastern and Western Cultures

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In the United States, May marks Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month as a way to look back at the historical and cultural achievements of those who trace their ancestry to Asia and other Pacific Island countries. Their stories have also appeared in popular culture, ranging from literature, film and television, and even video games.

One core value of Drillimation’s philosophy since 2023 is diversity, equity, and inclusion. Drillimation has vowed to unite people of all different backgrounds, regardless if their cultural origins lie in the Eastern and Western Hemispheres.

How Susumu Takajima is Changing Cultural Perspectives

If you played any of the Chuhou Joutai games, Susumu Takajima is the central protagonist. He may be Japanese by ethnicity, but is American by nationality. The reason for his creation was because of Western games, particularly games developed in the United States, not having enough Asian-American representation. There also aren’t very many works about Japanese-Americans, so Chuhou Joutai was used as an opportunity to fill in those gaps.

When people think of American characters in fiction, they will always think of the typical American whose ancestry is traced to Europe. That’s not enough. Over time, as America’s diversity started to grow in the 19th and 20th centuries, more authors started creating works featuring characters whose ancestry hails from Africa and Asia.

How Creating Games Also Bridges More Gaps

In 2023, Drillimation Systems collaborated with the Vietnam-based Studio Emiko to develop Touhou Meijinka ~ Song of Divine Tempest – the first Drillimation game developed internationally. This was the game where the East truly met West. This is especially true for Japanese developers – if their own staff can’t complete a project, sometimes a helping hand from the other side of the world can come in and save the day.

The Bridges of the Future

We are committed to providing support to our players in the Asia-Pacific region. We are also taking an active stance to combat racism and hatred within our community. Our work with individuals and organizations will help create meaningful change for our future generations so they can feel a sense of belonging and inclusion.