Origins & Early Life

Eiji Aonuma (Japanese: 青沼 英二, Hepburn: Aonuma Eiji; born March 16, 1963) is a Japanese video game designer, director, and producer at Nintendo. He is a senior officer within their Nintendo EPD division. He serves as the producer of the Legend of Zelda franchise and has worked on the title since 1998. Eiji Onozuka was born in Nagano Prefecture, Japan on March 16, 1963.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

He graduated from the Tokyo University of the Arts in 1988 with a master's degree in composition design, working on animated puppets called karakuri. After graduating, Onozuka was interviewed at Nintendo. He met Shigeru Miyamoto during the interview, and showed Miyamoto samples of his college work. Onozuka got a job at Nintendo without ever having played a video game before. He asked his girlfriend about video games, and she introduced him to two Yuji Horii games, Dragon Quest (1986) on the Famicom and The Portopia Serial Murder Case (1983) on the PC-8801, which were the first video games he ever played.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

His first projects involved graphic design, creating sprites for Nintendo Entertainment System games such as 1991's NES Open Tournament Golf. Onozuka was director on 1996's Marvelous: Mōhitotsu no Takarajima...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Aldous Huxley — Contemporary (Died in 1963) (1963): English writer and philosopher known for social satire and mystical explorations.
• Brad Pitt — Contemporary (Born in 1963) (1963): Esteemed American actor and producer with a career spanning over three decades.
• C. S. Lewis — Contemporary (Died in 1963) (1963): Influential British author, theologian, and scholar known for Narnia and Christian apologetics.
• Antoine-Jean Gros — Shared historical date (03-16 · Born) (1771): Master French painter renowned for historical and grand portraiture subjects.
• Aubrey Beardsley — Shared historical date (03-16 · Died) (1898): Pioneering English illustrator known for decadent, erotic black ink drawings.
• Charles Barkley — Historical peer (Born in 1963) (1963): Iconic former NBA star, analyst, and powerhouse rebounder.
• Cho Jeong-sik — Historical peer (Born in 1963) (1963): South Korean politician and current Speaker of the National Assembly.
• Aitana Bonmatí — Historical peer (Born in 1998) (1998): Star Spanish midfielder known for her decorated career with Barcelona and the Spain national team.
• Akira Kurosawa — Historical peer (Died in 1998) (1998): Master of Japanese cinema, known for dynamic style and epic storytelling.
• Abdul Basit 'Abd us-Samad — Historical peer (Died in 1988) (1988): Renowned Egyptian Quran reciter, celebrated for his melodious and deeply engaging vocal style.
• 1963 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1963
• March 16 (03-16) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on March 16