Shinji Hashimoto just retired, so please enjoy his legendary resume

Sometimes we don’t know the faces behind our favorite games.

Shinji Hashimoto, known as a producer behind many of Square Enix’s most famous projects, announced his retirement today after 28 years of working for Square Enix.

He tweeted the news from his personal account, where he said he was retiring due to reaching retirement age.

Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of Super Smash Bros., wished him well. And character designer Toshiyuki Itahana drew a picture of Hashimoto with a Chocobo and Moogle to send him off.

Hashimoto is mainly known for his work as a producer, which involves logistical management and budgeting of the game. He has also worked in publicity, sales, and marketing roles.

Hashimoto most notably served as Brand Manager for the Final Fantasy series (in addition to his producer duties) for the past decade before handing the role over to Yoshinori Kitase.

In short, Hashimoto-san has done plenty to influence Square Enix’s most popular JRPGs. So, along with the outpouring of personal notes and tributes, here’s a quick rundown of his top contributions to the games industry throughout his career.

He also was a producer for Final Fantasy 8, Final Fantasy 9, Final Fantasy 15, and the Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children spinoff film.

Fun fact: Hashimoto famously pitched the bizarre Final Fantasy meets Disney concept for Kingdom Hearts to a Disney executive in a literal elevator. The rest is history.

The World Ends With You

Hashimoto also produced the cult classic The World Ends With You which earned a sequel in 2021’s NEO: The World Ends With You and an anime based on the first game.

Fun fact: You can find Shinji Hashimoto in The World Ends With You bonus chapter, “Another Day.” His caricature is also so good at the minigame Tin Pin that the characters call him the “Wizard of Slam.” He also has a sprite with and without glasses.