In June, Zaboru decided to dedicate all his focus and energy to developing the highly anticipated Marvel vs. ZAGE arcade game. Every member of the Tokyo branch was redirected to work solely on this title. Meanwhile, his specialized hardware development team, alongside the experts at Nanco, were busy constructing the arcade cabinets that would house the game. The teamwork paid off—the new arcade game platform , NEW ZAS (ZAGE Arcade System) Marvel VS ZAGE, would now be ready in early July. With the launch just around the corner, Zaboru also coordinated a full-fledged TV ad campaign, securing air time on TV Tokyo station.
At the same time, across the Pacific, Zaboru received a call from Ryan at Emerald Wings. Ryan explained there was a newly established television network in the U.S. looking for investors—an animation-focused station named Nickelodeon. The name rang a bell for Zaboru. He was stunned. In his past life, Nickelodeon had been a household name since the late 1970s. But here in 1993, it was still in its infancy, airing only basic shows with limited reach. Sensing the potential, Zaboru didn't hesitate. This was an opportunity too good to ignore.
He quickly arranged a meeting with the network's owner and offered to invest. To his surprise, the owner was open to selling 50% of the company for $1.5 million—an amount Zaboru gladly paid. With that, Zaboru officially became a co-owner of Nickelodeon. Almost immediately, he pitched the idea of bringing SpongeBob SquarePants—which had already aired in Japan—to the American audience. Nickelodeon agreed, planning to dub and adapt the first season for a U.S. release within three months. Zaboru also hinted that he had more cartoon concepts to share in the future, which the network eagerly welcomed.
Back in the U.S., the ZAGE USA team had just wrapped development on The Elder Scrolls: Arena, which officially released to the public in late June. Zaboru had high hopes for the title, but even he was amazed by how quickly it had come together. The team, now led by both Damien Flamen as Game quality control lead and Samuel Nelson as Developer head alongside with newest addition of John Romero and John Carmack, had taken his foundational design and run with it, building an immersive, first-person fantasy RPG unlike anything on the market. Zaboru's "Aura of Influence" ability helped streamline the workflow and boost morale, but the team's raw talent truly shined through.
As for the gameplay itself, Zaboru made significant improvements to elevate the overall experience beyond that of the original Elder Scrolls: Arena from his previous life. He implemented a more intuitive and user-friendly inventory system, allowing players to manage their gear and items more efficiently. The map feature was also upgraded, now displaying landmarks, explored areas, and quest markers with greater clarity, making navigation feel smoother and less frustrating.
Additionally, Zaboru introduced a dynamic experience system inspired by later Elder Scrolls titles. Rather than leveling up through traditional experience points, players' skills would improve organically based on their actions. For example, frequently using one-handed weapons would gradually increase the player's proficiency in that category, unlocking more powerful moves and improving attack speed. Likewise, repeatedly casting Destruction magic would strengthen that school of magic, allowing access to more potent spells and reduced casting costs over time.
This natural progression system encourages players to develop their characters according to their preferred playstyles, making each journey through the game world feel personal and rewarding. Combined with the improved quality-of-life features, these gameplay enhancements helped The Elder Scrolls: Arena stand out as a groundbreaking RPG that pushed the genre forward in meaningful ways.
Players were captivated by the game's expansive world and deep lore. The ability to explore vast cities, delve into dungeons, and wield sword and magic in a first-person perspective was revolutionary for its time. Fans were particularly engrossed by the game's storyline involving Daedric gods and forbidden magic. For many players, this was their first taste of a living, breathing RPG world that responded to their choices. The game's reception was glowing, with praise from both casual players and critics alike.
Sales soared, and it quickly joined Age of Empires as one of ZAGE's landmark PC titles. Even in Japan, where PC gaming hadn't yet taken hold of the mainstream market, The Elder Scrolls: Arena found surprising popularity. Japanese gamers were intrigued after reading glowing reports in local newspapers or TV news about the immense praise it had received in the American media. The buzz spread quickly, especially among tech-savvy enthusiasts and hobbyists. For many slightly wealthy individuals who already had an interest in computers or gaming trends abroad, this became a catalyst to invest in a PC for the first time. Not only did they want to see what made the game so special, but they also wanted to experience the new frontier of Western-style RPGs firsthand. It was a rare case of a PC game creating ripples in a console-dominated country,
Meanwhile, over at Sonaya, the competition remained active. In June, they released three new titles. Two of them were based on DC Comics licenses: Batman: The Dark Knight and Superman. Batman: The Dark Knight was a moody, side-scrolling beat-'em-up with impressive pixel art and atmospheric music. Even Zaboru found it enjoyable. It wasn't groundbreaking, but it was polished and faithful to the source material. Superman, on the other hand, fell flat. The game had Superman flying around defeating generic alien invaders. It lacked challenge and creativity, which made the experience feel hollow and Zaboru already expected this outcome—he had seen it play out in his previous life. Creating a compelling Superman game has always been notoriously difficult. The core challenge lay in Superman's overwhelming strength and near-invulnerability, which left little room for balanced gameplay. Designing enemies and scenarios that could truly test the Man of Steel without compromising his iconic powers proved tricky. Without credible threats or meaningful obstacles, most Superman games ended up feeling flat, lacking the tension and challenge that make for engaging gameplay and if the game makes Superman weak that will be a disaster as well. As a result, they often fell short of expectations despite the character's immense popularity.
Their third release, J-Yagyu 1993, was a sequel to their baseball franchise. The game was mechanically sound, featuring realistic batting and pitching animations, but it didn't push any new boundaries. Still, Zaboru was pleased to see Sonaya continuing to grow. He respected their efforts and looked forward to seeing how their creative direction would evolve.
On the third-party front, ZAGE continued to receive new submissions each month like usual but One standout title this month came from Akaishidan Studio: a quirky, co-op beat-'em-up game for ZEPS called Demi-Usagi. What set it apart was its cast—every character was a humanoid rabbit with distinct abilities and fighting styles. There were six characters in total:
Shigero – A ninja-like male rabbit with claw attacks and stealth movement.
Rugyo – A burly rabbit wielding a mace and shield; slow but nearly indestructible.
Unokawa – A small, agile archer rabbit specialized in long-range combat.
Mirko – A powerful female fighter who used her muscular legs to deliver devastating kicks.
Ruruka – A petite, magical rabbit girl who cast carrot-based spells.
Lilianne – A charming summoner who could call upon tiny rabbit spirits and eventually transform into a massive bunny herself.
The core gameplay is a classic beat-'em-up infused with exaggerated power-based mechanics, allowing for flashy combos and powerful finishing moves that give each character a satisfying edge in battle. One of the most praised features is the customization system, which lets players modify their character's outfit in detail by purchasing parts using score points earned during gameplay. From helmets to gauntlets to boots, each piece only changes the character's appearance but sometimes that's all players want.
Zaboru chuckled when playing this game overall, it's a solid co-op beat-em-up. In fact this game has interesting back stories and What caused Ayumi to create this game was an accident a couple of months back. Zaboru loved sketching characters during quiet moments in his office. One afternoon, he absentmindedly drew Rumi Usagiyama—Mirko from MHA in his previous life—with her trademark muscular thighs, fierce expression, and a wild, confident grin. The drawing captured a powerful energy, even in its rough pencil form and the quality of art is really superb because of how good Zaboru already was at drawing. When Ayumi saw it lying on his desk, she froze. Her eyes lit up with curiosity, then fascination. She asked Zaboru who this character was, and he explained Mirko's background from his past world: her role as a fearless hero, her strength, her independence, and how she stood out even among superpowered peers.
"She is strong and her power is that she can do anything a rabbit could, although it sounds mediocre but she's always trained her power and enhanced her technique to become the best" Zaboru said To Ayumi. Ayumi begged him to tell more of her stories which Zaboru told her.
Ayumi was mesmerized. Something about the raw strength and unapologetic confidence of Mirko struck a chord with her and the fact she is a bunny girl! She loves bunnies so much. She immediately envisioned a game that could channel that same bold energy. Without hesitation, she turned to Zaboru and begged him to let her use the character in one of her projects. Zaboru, amused and somewhat proud, laughed warmly at her enthusiasm and gave his blessing. "Go for it," he said, handing her the sketch. "Just make her shine."
That moment sparked the origin of Demi-Usagi. Inspired and determined, Ayumi met with her brother Akechi and pitched the concept. Akechi, who had recently been reflecting on Zaboru's advice—that even the most outlandish game ideas can succeed if executed with love and precision—was intrigued. He saw the potential in Ayumi's passion and creativity. With no hesitation, he agreed to join her, and together they began crafting what would become one of Akaishidan Studio's other surprising hits.
The players' reactions to the game were overwhelmingly positive. They praised the smooth and engaging gameplay, applauded the responsive controls, and raved about the deep customization options. One of the biggest highlights was the character Mirko players absolutely adored. Her sheer physical strength, explosive agility, and confident demeanor quickly made her a fan favorite. Players loved personalizing her with different outfits and accessories,
In fact, her popularity grew so rapidly that she began to eclipse the rest of the cast in fan discussions. Some even returned to the game repeatedly just to see how many ways they could upgrade and restyle her. In one crowded Osaka arcade, when there was a ZEPS rental, someone shouted, "Mirko, step on me!" loud enough to turn heads across the floor. It was strange and a little unsettling, but it perfectly captured just how much of an impression she had made. The buzz around Mirko wasn't just a joke —it was a testament to how well-crafted and charismatic she was as a playable character and Ayumi made sure the credits clearly stated that Mirko was originally created by Zaboru in the end credit roll which also made the player surprised! Zaboru is really good at creating female characters!, as she didn't want to steal the spotlight for a character that wasn't fully her own. Despite Zaboru reassuring her that he didn't mind letting her take ownership of the design for Mirko, Ayumi insisted on giving him proper credit.
That is because only Zaboru knew Mirko wasn't even His original creation—it was a character imagined by Kōhei Horikoshi Boku no Hero academia author from Zaboru's previous life.
As the month drew to a close, Zaboru began laying the groundwork for ZAGE's next major public event. He wanted to build anticipation for the Marvel vs. ZAGE Releasing Zaboru launch by hosting a Street Fighter II tournament in early July. Months earlier, he had tasked Shinsuke Yamaguchi, ZAGE's head of marketing, with organizing a nationwide qualifying series in arcades.
Regional tournaments were held quietly in arcades across Japan, and now, the finalists were preparing to fly in for the big showdown. Zaboru spared no expense—ZEB booths were being set up with branded artwork, and the grand prize is really great.
And that's how June unfolded for ZAGE—a month filled with breakthroughs, excitement, and the laying of groundwork for what promises to be an even more explosive July.
To be continued...
AN : Yeah, I love Mirko. I'm weak to strong thigs woman
Anyway, what do you guys think about this kind of long chapter? , personally after i translate to GPT i still understand it but i think the writing style is a little bit lacking?. I dont know english very much so i can't really tell. But if it is lacking i hope you all just let it go lol. Because there's no way I can translate by myself or hire a good editor hahaha.
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