Interviewer: Welsh
Date: 22/06/2013
Since our previous interview with Mr. Yasuhisa Kawamura, a former scenario writer and planner in the BIOHAZARD series most known for creating the scenario of BIOHAZARD 3 LAST ESCAPE, we requested a follow-up which goes into more detail on certain aspects mentioned or hinted at in the previous interview pertaining to subject's such as William Birkin's ambition, Sherry Birkin's intended destiny and the motives of both Umbrella and the American government. Mr. Kawamura once again very kindly accepted.
Please Note: All the story information below is based on the information at the time of BH3 during Mr. Kawamura's tenure. Subsequent games may change or remove some information at any time and there may be some discrepancies between the information below and the present series storyline.
Date: 22/06/2013
Since our previous interview with Mr. Yasuhisa Kawamura, a former scenario writer and planner in the BIOHAZARD series most known for creating the scenario of BIOHAZARD 3 LAST ESCAPE, we requested a follow-up which goes into more detail on certain aspects mentioned or hinted at in the previous interview pertaining to subject's such as William Birkin's ambition, Sherry Birkin's intended destiny and the motives of both Umbrella and the American government. Mr. Kawamura once again very kindly accepted.
Please Note: All the story information below is based on the information at the time of BH3 during Mr. Kawamura's tenure. Subsequent games may change or remove some information at any time and there may be some discrepancies between the information below and the present series storyline.
Interview Transcript
Q. Why did William Birkin refuse to hand the completed G-Virus to Umbrella?
A. Dr. Birkin hadn't completed the G-Virus. It was actually at a near-complete stage. Birkin became bitter with the Chicago branch. He wished to study freely but was required to report on its development status to the Chicago branch. However, he hated being under the thumb of the Chicago branch. Therefore, he gradually neglected his communications to them, and the Chicago branch began to feel he was difficult to keep in line. Naturally, neither Umbrella Headquarters nor the Chicago branch forgave Birkin's betrayal. The death of the traitor Dr. Birkin didn't pose any particular problems. His research was most critical.
Q. Why was it necessary for the USS to infiltrate the underground lab if the Chicago branch controlled it? And what kind of opposition would they face against security guards?
A. Dr. William Birkin controlled the laboratory, but the Chicago branch had detailed blueprints of the research facility. Umbrella needed his talents but had to treat him as a threat if they couldn't control him. Once Umbrella dispatched the raid troops, William knew he couldn't be saved. The lab's guards couldn't compete with Special Forces. This setting wasn't clear at the time of BIOHAZARD 2. I studied BIOHAZARD 1 and BIOHAZARD 2 and thought about the reasoning. How'd a biohazard occur in the laboratory? How'd the biohazard spread into Raccoon City? Why was Birkin going to steal the G-Virus? Why was Umbrella trying to kill Birkin? Birkin couldn't have been a fool. However, he sent contaminants exceeding the contamination treatment facility's capacity. It was a matter of time before spies or the USS would come to abduct him. He didn't know the exact time they'd come but sensed impending danger fast approaching. The US Government wasn't pleased and sent William a rescue unit.
Q. Is there a reason Dr. Birkin gave up his ambitions to became an executive officer after the final entry of the BIOHAZARD 2 file, "Mail to the Chief"?
A. I created BIO3's circumstances to explain BIO2's files. I connected the settings of BIO1 and BIO2, created the world setting of BIO3, and determined Leon’s occupation in BIO4. In my interpretation, I imagined Birkin didn't regard the G-Virus merely as raw material for creating biological weapons. The biggest difference between the T-Virus and G-Virus is whether it's a virus for producing mutations, or a godly virus for creating a new species. I made the best story from the material I had. I didn't think William objected to bioweapons development. William aimed to give results superior to other scientists. Dr. Marcus led in t-Virus research. In addition, Alexia developed t-Veronica and led the realization of "immortality." I thought that, for William, his point was adhering to a "new life-form" that was more progressive than other scientists.
On the question of whether he wanted to be an executive, you could say it's correct, even if it differs. Why was he an executive candidate? He hardly wanted Umbrella's public influence. Don't doctors want patrons to support their research with maximum financial aid? There's a difference between Birkin and Wesker. Wesker wanted immense power for his own sake. Though he was also a researcher, I think he was obsessed with power. Thus, unlike Birkin, he shed his white coat. Birkin would've wanted to have abundant research funds through wielding Umbrella's power. He probably didn't necessarily want to become a billionaire or politician, but did want to be an executive. What's the difference? In my opinion however, I think Umbrella's demands always differed from what Birkin wanted. It's the same with us designers, managers think differently. I imagined Birkin held antipathy and doubt toward the center of Umbrella demanding progress reports on G-Virus development from him. As for William, he didn't want the G-Virus results to be forcefully seized.
Q. Is it referring to the Chicago branch in the BIO3 file, "FAX from the Directorate of Operations"?
A. I think that's a valid perspective, but I don't believe the Chicago branch operated under its own command alone. Although Umbrella's directorate of operations was definitely set up by the Chicago branch, I think key figures from the head office had control over the chain of command. The Chicago branch was the largest branch in America, but the head office was in Europe. I imagined there was some competition between the head office and the Chicago branch. Therefore, I added the settings of the American-made Hunter and Tyrant to BIOHAZARD 3.
Q. Do you recall if the Paris Laboratory from the opening of BIOHAZARD CODE:Veronica was supposed to be Umbrella Headquarters?
A. The location of Umbrella Headquarters is unknown. When I was involved in development we didn't decide it. Although you could conceive of it being on Mallet Island. For the time being, the headquarters' location is unknown. The American branch developed the Tyrant and Hunter which boosted its voice of influence within Umbrella's organization. Each of the head office's European branches sensed impending danger and rushed to develop powerful new bioweapons.
Q. Mallet Island was made for the BIO4 version of DEVIL MAY CRY. So, Umbrella HQ was first intended to be Mallet Island, then the castle from Mr. Sugimura's version, then your version?
A. My version was the same as Sugimura-sensei's version. I was his support. A branch office and lab near the head office developed the Hunter γ and Nemesis. After the incident in BIOHAZARD 3, it's expected each American branch rapidly lost power, including the Chicago branch. The Sixth Laboratory developed Nemesis. Birkin sought to create a new species. All bioweapons created by Umbrella thus far were mutations reproducible only with cloning. However, the G-Virus is different. Organisms infected and mutated by the G-Virus would be able to engage in reproductive activities and propagate. What Birkin was trying to create wasn't a weapon.
Q. He was trying to create a race of superhumans, same as Wesker?
A. That wasn't what Wesker desired. Though Umbrella expected Birkin to develop more functional weapons and demanded results, his research results slightly diverged from that. The Chicago branch desired more effective new weapons, while Birkin desired a more perfect new species of life-form. I imagined this resulted in the friction between themt. The bioweapons Birkin made bolstered the American branch's voice of influence, but if they couldn't control him, they couldn't leave him to his own devices. Birkin expected the Chicago branch to impose sanctions on him and give over all his research data to other scientists.
Q. What method did Dr. Birkin use to contact the military? By telephone?
A. It wasn't so short-term. You can't ask for assistance by phone and the American military will respond with "OK!" and come to your rescue. The US Armed Forces aren't Pizza Hut. Birkin entered into negotiations with the United States, the method's not important. The US purchased bioweapons from Umbrella, but Umbrella was a troublesome entity even for the US Government. Other countries besides the US often purchased Umbrella's weapons too. It was also considered they'd become threats to US soldiers. Birkin's American but the US Government couldn't freely use his knowledge and skills due to his affiliation with Umbrella. The doctor sought protection from the US In exchange for handing over all the research results he was familiar with, Birkin demanded personal protection from the US along with the right to conduct research in an American research institute.
Q. Did you envision a particular military unit for the US Special Forces?
A. In my setting, the US Special Forces that entered Raccoon City were Army. Although composed of soldiers who received training against bioweapons, their training and experience weren't enough since they were formed relatively recently. Maybe it was Delta Force. Despite the negotiations between the US and the doctor resulting in an agreement, there were complications.
Q. The US Special Forces were supposedly wiped out in the battle with Tyrants. Is it possible any of them survived?
A. The US Special Forces were wiped out, but it's possible an "actually, one survived" character could appear in the future. That's entirely up to the discretion of CAPCOM's scenario writers. The problem was that the US forces needed time to mobilize in order to rescue Birkin. Umbrella collaborators lurk within both the US Government and the US military. Great care needed to be taken to assemble the unit and prepare gear for the assault without alerting them. Another problem was the US Government lacking intel on Umbrella's research facility. The Raccoon City lab had complex incursion routes as a secret facility, and it took time to analyze them. Although they gained a degree of understanding from intel provided by Birkin, I imagine planning of the op was still fraught with difficulties. Since they anticipated Umbrella's interference, they also required countermeasures against bioweapons. Meanwhile, Umbrella's Chicago branch was also alarmed. They were aware of Birkin's unsettling behavior and couldn't predict when he'd betray them, taking all his research results with him. Furthermore, the prospect of him achieving even greater results at an US research institute than he had for Umbrella was a grave concern. I imagine the head office would likely investigate his liability for that. As for the people in the Chicago branch, nearly all are American, but they don't prioritize US interests.
Q. Do you have anymore details about what Barry was doing at the time of BIO3?
A. Barry's a popular character. We thought he hadn't appeared in the story for a long time and this didn't please fans. When we were working on BIO3, director Kamiya's team was developing another BIOHAZARD as a PlayStation 2 launch title. Therefore I wasn't able to write about characters director Kamiya controlled. At the same time, development advanced with CODE:Veronica, so I couldn't deal with Wesker, Leon or Claire in BIO3. However I got director Mikami's permission to write special ending stories for my unique ideas. I wrote them so as to not adversely affect the stories of Leon and Claire still in production. Regarding Barry, he was threatened by Umbrella. After BIO1, Barry left for Canada to ensure his family's safety. Since Umbrella's Chicago branch was in the US, they weren't safe. He didn't pursue the truth of the incident like Chris and Jill. His priority was protecting his precious family. However, he was tormented. I think he knew about the circumstances of Raccoon City on the news while he was hiding and living. He knew Jill stayed behind in the city and continued investigating. Therefore, he believed she might've still been staying in the city. So he believed his intuition and left Canada. Barry returned to the US and was going to enter Raccoon City via a land route, but the land routes were blockaded by the military. So, counting on a friend from his time in SWAT, he chartered a helicopter. He waited until the military left the city in order to drop the bomb, then entered the city from a low altitude. I don't know what happened after he helped Jill. The things I thought about weren't carried over. He probably lived calmly with his family.
Q. Can you tell us more about Nikolai and his combat data acquisition at the time of BIO3?
A. Nikolai's a Supervisor employed by Umbrella Headquarters and would naturally deliver all the data he escaped with to the head office. In regards to his rewards, he forcefully seized all the intel collected by his other comrades under a commission system in his contract, then eliminated them under the pretense of accidents. As he's not foolish, he wouldn't write in his report that he killed his comrades on the battlefield. There's a reward for killing Jill but Umbrella's not so much interested in Jill Valentine as an individual. They were ordered to kill S.T.A.R.S. officers they found snooping around in relation to Umbrella's bioweapons development. The reward over each member's death confirmation was equal. As Nikolai says, it's like a cheap amount. If Nemesis were to kill a member of S.T.A.R.S. and he verified it, he'd be rewarded. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Nikolai forever lost masters. He lacked beliefs or ideals, but his whole body was highly trained like a weapon and he doesn't need to act through thought. He's an anarchist after being set free, working for his own greed. The reason he works with Umbrella's because they correspond to that interest. Umbrella pays him large rewards and he can live his life fully displaying his skills. He has no loyalties. He's not interested in being promoted by Umbrella, he redeems his achievements for money. Then he demands the next battlefield. He's no berserker, but he enjoys combat. His desire's to show off his polished skills to the fullest. Combat data's provided by treatment medical records, combat tests and live combat. It's ascertained through footage and the Supervisors' eyes. Nikolai has no specific department to return to in Umbrella's organization. He has no real boss. No subordinates, either. It's evident he swears no loyalty to anyone within Umbrella's organization. When the Soviet Union collapsed, he was disillusioned by everything. He also became extremely egotistical. Only money and his life are valuable to him. He's useful as an easy to please pro within Umbrella who handles dangerous missions so long as he gets paid.
Q. Can you tell us more about Brad at the time of BIO3?
A. Brad was targeted by Nemesis. Brad didn't have that much of a tough time with Zombies, he had combat skills. He was infected by Nemesis and the reason Zombie Brad's tough is that he was infected with the strengthened virus within Nemesis' body. The reason he returned to the police station wasn't that it was a refuge. He believed there were survivors of the armed police officers in the station. He was going to ask his comrades for help. Brad seemed to be trying to somehow escape the city. However, he was beyond saving.
Q. What did you imagine Carlos doing after escaping Raccoon?
A. In my mind, Carlos also escaped the US through Mexico and lived in Chile or Colombia. He might get plastic surgery on his face again.
Q. Why didn't Lickers appear in BIO3?
A. The Licker didn't appear because the Licker's control program was complicated and control was difficult without the programmer responsible for the Licker. The responsible programmer had already been assigned to a different team. We supplemented substitutes for the Licker with the Brain Sucker and Drain Deimos. The two offpsring monsters were very good monsters. The character designer and motion designer for the monsters discussed and created them. I researched and made the setting of the monsters alongside the character designer. If it's a texture and model, making use of it is easy. The problem's AI. Though I don't know whether the control programs in those days could be referred to as AI...
Q. What's the clock tower's backstory?
A. This place was originally a church. However, we were forbidden to handle facilities for particular religions in games, like Christianity. It was a countermeasure against complaints from overseas groups. It had no particular backstory, but it was appointed as the UBCS unit recall point. Since the clock tower was a building that stood out well in Raccoon City, it was suitable for a transport chopper to target. As it was almost in the center of the city, it was used as the new type bomb's target. It's just like the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.
Q. Can you tell us more about the hospital's head doctor?
A. The head doctor was a dead man who became a Zombie right before finishing the vaccine. In the initial closed setting I made, the head doctor was a professor in a prestigious medical university scouted by the pharmaceutical company, Umbrella. He was a virtuous and brilliant man with absolutely nothing to do with Umbrella's darkside. He investigated the true nature of the t-Virus all night for several days, even after the evacuation advisory within Umbrella, refusing to abandon the patients being brought in one after another, and was trying to create a vaccine. However, the staff lost in the battle with the zombified patients and in the end he turned into a Zombie himself.
Q. Could you tell us more about the use of Paracelsus?
A. The "Philosopher's Stone" was decorated on Paracelsus' sword. There was documentation in which the Philosopher's Stone was thought to "be a magnet." Paracelsus had the opinion sick people could be treated with magnets. In addition, Paracelsus created the Homunculus. A Homunculus is artificial life. Paracelsus began producing Homunculi and killed them using a sword decorated with the Philosopher's Stone. I made it the railgun's name. The railgun in the waste plant was brought as a weapon to kill the artificial creatures known as G-Organisms. By the way, have you played Rise of Nightmares? I participated in its development and made the mysterious character called "Marchosias." There's a joke I hid in this game. The final weapon that shows up is called the Sword of Paracelsus. I planned this weapon. It's a magic gauntlet attached to the right hand that shoots fireballs. I was a stage planner but my stage designs were modified by SEGA's young planners. I made suggestions about the story, but my suggestions weren't adopted.
Q. Do you have anymore information on the Nemesis Project at the time of BIO3?
A. The Nemesis Project was intended to create bioweapons superior to the Tyrants created in North America. Nemesis can attach to and control any vertebrate. It should essentially create a humanoid weapon equivalent to the Tyrant. However, though regrettable, it seems the European lab lacked an abundant budget since Umbrella's management considered the Tyrant's mass-production more important. The Pursuer still became a humanoid weapon exceeding the Tyrant's specs. It should be possible to commercialize it if a more human appearance can be realized. I don't know anything about the Nemesis Project afterwards. The Nemesis-T Type was deployed into Raccoon City for a combat exam as a trial product. I imagine high quality combat data was recovered. For a trial product, Nemesis lacks factors necessary for a weapon. For example, there's no room for improvement in regards to going out of control from too much damage. Additionally, a weapon must be capable of striking fear in the enemy, but also needs to be trustworthy among comrades. Nemesis is merely a monster with a still gruesome outward appearance. It'd be perfect if its figure became akin to a beautiful Greek sculpture, like the Terminator. The Nemesis isn't capable of looking similar to a human. It must at least not inspire a sense of disgust in allies. This is the same reason the Hunter β was given an ugly appearance.
Q. In your opinion, what would the outcome be if G-Organism were to be injected with a Nemesis parasite?
A. This is my own expectation, but if you allowed Nemesis to parasitize a G-Organism, the Nemesis would die unable to parasitize the G-Organism, which would break down the Nemesis' secreted fluids with its powerful self-regenerative ability. The parasite's a weak creature. It would die immediately if it parasitized and took root in a host it failed to acquire nourishment from. An afflicted G-Organism parasitized by Nemesis would suffer extreme pain and make full use of its self-healing ability with all its might, killing the parasite within the day, then the G-Organism would recover. When you inject the G-Virus into a creature parasitized by Nemesis, such as the Pursuer, since the G-Virus would destroy the cells already converted by Nemesis, it would awaken berserk like in BIO3 and die within a few hours. I'd expect it'd finally end up like the Pursuer in the third form, then die.
Q. What happens to non-Tyrants injected with the Nemesis parasite in your opinion?
A. Nemesis coexists with the t-Virus, bestowing further power with secreted fluid. A Zombie's abilities would be vastly inferior but it'd obtain some intelligence and an overcompensating feature like the Pursuer. But, like the Pursuer, it's merely a decently fierce animal with some intelligence if it isn't educated by handlers. It's impossible to remove Nemesis from a host once it's parasitized. Nemesis is fused in the process of controlling the host. Both Nemesis and the host would die if you surgically removed it by force. Nemesis elevates intelligence and I added the story of it being trained by human trainers. Nemesis understands human speech and can identify people from visual materials. Nemesis-T revolting is described, but I myself didn't write that, though I remember looking over those manuscripts at the time. I think I approved the ideas of other staff or writers who wrote the guidebook's manuscript. The Nemesis has no specific weakness. It's weak to dryness, weak to light, weak to cold and weak to heat. In other words, it's weak to all stimuli in the outside world. It'd die immediately without a host. The parasite was designed to strengthen a B.O.W. If it killed and ate a bioweapon, it wouldn't be marketable. It achieves a life-span once stable. Nemesis was something designed to strengthen a B.O.W. created using the t-Virus. Since it absorbs the host's t-Virus to complete its parasitism, normal humans can't be hosts. Nemesis is different from the Facehugger in Alien. Nemesis has no biological functions for independence. If the host dies, it can't move to possess a new one.
Q. How powerful is the G-Virus compared to the Progenitor Virus?
A. I can't answer that question. There's no standard comparable to a "kill ratio" used when explaining fighter performance. There are no scenes depicting combat between Progenitor Virus creatures and G-Virus creatures within the story. Therefore I can't simply compare the two. As I explained, at the time I was involved with the planning, the Progenitor Virus was conceived as "a virus capable of creating immortal creatures." However its effects were too intense and unusable for modern creatures, including humans. At that point, the t-Virus was somehow created under "a process to weaken its effects" to a degree allowing it to make modern humans immortal. The G-Virus was invented as something totally different from research on the Progenitor Virus and t-Virus. Umbrella had many t-Virus researchers, with independently developed t-Veronica and t-Marcus reflecting concepts conceived by each researcher. Dr. William Birkin may not have been satisfied merely inheriting the research results of such seniors. He proposed that neither the Progenitor Virus or t-Virus sufficed. The G-Virus was said to be a divine virus. The reason's because the G-Virus is a virus capable of single-handedly "creating new breeds." Other viruses convert an individual into an immortal being by causing mutations, but can't spread via sexual reproduction. Even if clones are grown, different individuals with new genetic information can't be created. When a male and female of the same creature are injected with the G-Virus, they transform into a perfect G-Organism and the virus can produce descendents via reproduction. The creature's physically stronger than the original and transforms into an advanced type of life-form. The concept never got off the ground in BIO2 and unfortunately Dr. William Birkin was an imperfect monster, but I thought about the doctor's concept of "creating new species." If you think about it based on the above explanation, you can understand it's insignificant to compare them as bioweapons with combat abilities.
Q. I admire the passion and dedication you have for the series after so many years. You should consider returning to CAPCOM as a main series writer.
A. The reason's simple: because myself and others left CAPCOM. I like CAPCOM. I like BIOHAZARD. But my whole livelihood's in Tokyo, not Osaka.
Q. I see. Now according to BIOHAZARD GUN SURVIVOR, Umbrella's European branch on Sheena Island held Dr. Birkin responsible for what happened in Raccoon City...
A. GUN SURVIVOR's like "Alien vs. Predator" to "Alien". It's better to think of it as separate.
Q. GUN SURVIVOR was written by the late Mr. Sugimura of FLAGSHIP, and was mentioned in the opening narration of "BIOHAZARD 0"...
A. "BIOHAZARD 0" was under FLAGSHIP's control. In that sense, it's closer to GUN SURVIVOR. CODE:Veronica, BIO0 and BIO3 were made by separate companies. BIO3 was made only with the staff from CAPCOM’s head office. CODE:Veronica was a game made by Director Kato, loaned to a developer named TOSE. Although BIO0 was made by TOSE too, FLAGSHIP wrote the scenario. My senior Mr. Kato wrote CODE:Veronica. Therefore, by way of the setting, it’s something outside of Mr. Mikami’s recognition. Since BIO3 was made in the production studio Mr. Mikami led directly, it naturally reflected his will. Indeed, GUN SURVIVOR's similar to BIO0. The settings written by the FLAGSHIP scenario writers probably didn’t obtain Mr. Mikami’s consent. BIOHAZARD OUTBREAK's treated similar to BIO0. It’s official, but doesn’t seem to be regarded as important. Various people are involved with BIOHAZARD and each creates a story with unique interpretations. That side's made liberally. It may be different now.
Q. Understood.
A. Let's continue. Feeling a sense of impending danger in the slow moving operation to rescue him, Birkin thought of buying time. In my opinion, the biohazard in the lab was no accident. Birkin intentionally caused the biohazard. As mentioned above, Umbrella's elite troops wouldn't be held back by the lab's defensive traps and security guards. In addition, it was also difficult to stop spies from infiltrating. It was only a matter of time before Birkin would be either abducted or assassinated. However, infiltrating the research facility wouldn't be easy if it was sealed off by a biohazard. If Raccoon City were also contaminated, intrusion routes would be further cut off. The US military's Special Forces were organized during that borrowed time and carried out a breach op. Umbrella also took action to prevent Birkin's defection to the US Government. The elite U.S.S. was dispatched from the head office and sent into Raccoon City at the Chicago branch's request. Then six Tyrants carried in by helicopter were deployed to support the op's expansion. As a consequence, Birkin was assassinated by the U.S.S. It was a result of U.S.S. having more accurate intel than the US military. They had detailed information on the secret facility, as well as possessing more combat experience with bioweapons than the US military's Special Forces. While they were no match for Birkin infected with the G-Virus, they were administered an advanced antiviral drug, giving them the ability to eliminate Zombies with issue. In the end, the US Government realized Birkin's rescue had failed and altered their objective. BIOHAZARD 3 tells the story of that transition. Once Birkin's rescue failed, the US Government feared Umbrella would recover his research results. If his research results like the G-Virus were brought to Umbrella, there was no telling what terrible weapons would be brought to enemies of the United States later on. Therefore, the US sought to hasten the execution of the "Sterilization Strategy." That operation's true purpose wasn't to prevent the spread of the virus. Raccoon City's setting was originally a city that existed in isolation within a midwestern desert. Since it was surrounded by arid desert, there was no need to be concerned about the virus spreading. It could be said there was no danger to the extent a new bomb had to be dropped and 100,000 victims had to be sacrificed. The US Government intended to prevent Umbrella from retrieving Birkin's research results, in total disregard of survivors. In my opinion.
Q. That's a lot of information. I wonder why CAPCOM only released bits and pieces in supplemental material like "biohazard archives."
A. Well, I didn't write that in detail but I told everything I knew to Producer Kobayashi and he had it documented. I'm thankful to him. Who emerged victorious in this conflict? I've prepared several answers. First, the G-Virus was recovered by HUNK and Birkin was assassinated. Judging solely by these results, Umbrella's entire objective was achieved. However the United States also saw results. One was the opportunity to form a bioweapon response force. Although the soldiers trained up to that point were tough too, they failed to achieve results. Consequently, the US military arranged to go through with reviewing its forces. That military organization hired Leon, he would've been murdered if he didn't comply. He obeyed the US Government in order to ensure Sherry's safety. With that, the United States succeeded in training a tough specialist. Like the movie G.I.JOE, huh (laughs). Another's the existence of Sherry. I imagined there were two possibilities for Sherry's future. I intended to leave the interpretation of the G-Virus to people who'd make stories after mine.
The reason the G-Virus is referred to as a godly virus is that if male and female humans infected with the G-Virus have sex, a G-Human will be born. In other words, they can reproduce and create new individuals, enabling the creation of a new human race surpassing modern humans. If dogs mutated by the G-Virus were to mate, G-Puppies would be born. G-Dogs and G-Humans cannot mate. That's what I imagined. It fundamentally differs from the T-Virus. However, please look at BIOHAZARD 2. Birkin became a monster when he administered the G-Virus. It caused deformities. I believed that was far from Birkin's dream. Could it be because it was incomplete? At BIOHAZARD 2's point in time, it was concluded to have failed. In my view there was another answer though. Perhaps some element was missing? That's what I thought. If it failed due to his injuries, why'd the doctor try to avoid death by injecting himself with the G-Virus? One could say it was simply out of a desire for revenge, but I would add another interpretation. There was Annette's research. Dr. Annette was conducting research alongside Dr. William. She was apparently researching a vaccine for the G-Virus. I wonder though, does a virus created to transform living organisms even need a vaccine? The t-Virus was a virus created to produce bioweapons using mutations, it wasn't originally intended for use on humans.
Q. What about the DEVIL vaccine?
A. I imagined the DEVIL Annette was developing wasn't a vaccine. DEVIL developed by Annette might've been a stabilizing agent for controlling the G-Virus' sudden mutations, preventing turning into a mutant. Rewriting of DNA and RNA with the G-Virus is something very sudden, couldn't there be cases where it fails to transform correctly into a new organism? In those cases, they may become a monster like Birkin and lose their rational mind. I prepared two conclusions, one follows the original setting. Retaining the original setting would make Sherry the only girl in the world with G-Virus antibodies. The American government failed to recover the G-Virus itself, but they did recover a human carrying G-Virus antibodies. A story could be told of Sherry, sheltered as the adopted child of a high-ranking government official, spending a harsh youth as a research subject.
In the other ending I thought of, Sherry mutates when infected with the G-Virus. On the surface she appears to be cured by Annette's DEVIL, but in the story she's really been transformed into a perfected G-Organism. Birkin was nearly dead and gambled. He injected himself with the G-Virus without DEVIL in a bid to withstand the mutation and be reborn as a neo-human. In my idea, when the G-Virus suddenly and rapidly rewrites a living thing's DNA, problems arise. Although William also understood that, he couldn't help but gamble and injected himself with the G-Virus in an effort to recover from his serious injuries. But that failed. Annette predicted that to some extent. Thus she risked her life to give her daughter DEVIL. Annette was a totally normal scientist and a capable assistant to William.
I conceived of a story where Sherry's already no longer human but became a totally different life-form. If Sherry became a G-Organism, Sherry couldn't start a family even if she had sex with a human man. Sherry has no relatives and possessed abilities surpassing humanity. She could even be expected to oppose Wesker. A "powerful Sherry" who became a neo-human as a result of her father's ambition could be made into the leading role. This was the second plan I considered. I think Dr. William Birkin was someone with immense ambition. Birkin sought to achieve research results surpassing those of other past researchers. He needed to surpass "t-Marcus." And he needed to surpass Alexia's "t-Veronica", she in particular was said to be a genius. Mutations alone were insufficient to surpass their achievements. One could say Dr. Birkin sought to create a god. However, speaking of whether that was the effective weapon Umbrella desired, it may not be the case.
Q. Did Hiroshima play a part in planning the destruction of Raccoon City?
A. Ha-ha. I had no such intent. I’m not a citizen of Hiroshima, nor do I have relatives in Hiroshima. It was first and foremost a major production reason we decided to destroy Raccoon City. Of course, it's not true an A-bomb was dropped. I wrote it as a new bomb similar to a "vaporizing bomb", a new bomb with destructive power equal to a tactical nuclear weapon, but the details are unclear. It's something like the N2 mine that appears in Evangelion. The risk was too big with nuclear weapons on American soil. The EMP of nuclear weapons is serious.
Q. Do you have any recollections of Mr. Sugimura and Mr. Fukasaku?
Mr. Sugimura was a very great man. You mightn't be aware. Do you know Lupin The Third? Mr. Sugimura wrote scenarios in this anime's first season and the AFRO LUPIN '98 movie. He also wrote the scenario of a drama that was very popular in Japan. He also laid out Power Rangers, that was Mr. Sugimura's scenario. Afterward, Kamen Rider Black. He came to the game industry after then wrote the scenarios of BIO2 and CODE:Veronica. He was very popular among ex-staff. Well, he was a dislikeable person on the job, but a very nice man in private. Mr. Sugimura had become a classical-style writer, so he lacked new expressions necessary to match games. He maintained his ability in essential areas however. He had a lot of pupils better than me, but I'm proud of having a relation with him.
Ordinary people seem to think Mr. Mikami made every BIO game alone. It's the same as ordinary people being unaware of me for example. Mr. Sugimura didn't work with Mr. Mikami on a professional level. However, Mr. Mikami liked Mr. Sugimura. I called him a week before Mr. Sugimura died. I had left Clover Studio and was about to go back to Tokyo. A consultation working together with Mr. Sugimura was to be held in Tokyo. Just before returning to Tokyo, I heard news of Mr. Sugimura's death. I grieved very much. I was very sad. I'd grown up watching Mr. Sugimura's work.
I supported Director Fukasaku on Clock Tower 3. I liked Director Kinji Fukasaku too. However, he died before Clock Tower 3 was released. Then Mr. Sugimura died several years later too. Mr. Fukasaku's one of the most famed movie directors in Japan. He supervised all the CG movies in Clock Tower 3. It's his poshumous work. Clock Tower 3's in Kinji Fukasaku's image from beginning to end. It's his last finished product. Director Fukasaku was brave and uncompromising.
Q. Could you tell us more about the scrapped versions of BIO4?
A. I had a major role under the director at this time as a planner. I tried out various situations under Director Shibata. A ghost horror version, etc. In the castle awakening version, I organized the ideas and stages while Mr. Sugimura wrote the scenario. This was in no way my decision, but the story was about anti-B.O.W. spec ops unit member Leon infiltrating Oswell E. Spencer's castle. The spec ops unit deployed by the company Wesker belonged to infiltrate the castle earlier and are wiped out, while Leon's own troops snuck in afterwards and were also wiped out. Leon's infected by a specialized viral weapon they brought in and on the verge of death. Wesker didn't appear himself, just his company's unit. Underground, an ancient human made immortal by the Progenitor Virus had become mummified and slumbered. He was the Progenitor itself and the ultimate weapon was said to be produced from him.
The castle awakening version was close to the usual BIO atmosphere. However, Leon's right hand would become a monstrosity due to a virus. The story had Leon, while in a state of low life expectancy, meeting a girl and B.O.W. dog captured as test subjects in the basement trying to escape above ground. Leon and the girl were the main characters of this stage of that version. In the middle of the story, an infected Leon, ready to die, heads toward the basement to try the self-destruct to wipe out the origin of the t-Virus forever. The castle version didn't have the psycho horror element, it was orthodox BIO save for the fact Leon was infected with a virus, had little time left, and could use his monstrous arm as a weapon. The two-sided composition wasn't on a comparable scale to BIO2 and the costs were too much, and moreover, the quantity of data for the dog and heroine was very heavy and we weren't able to display it with the GameCube. As a result of trying all tests, we concluded it was impossible. The contents weren't necessarily bad, traces of the tests are the Ganado dogs that appear in BIO4. The reason there are elements common to Devil May Cry is they shared the same purpose. The purpose of biohazard 4 was to add one ending to the story of Umbrella. Who's Umbrella founder Spencer? What's the Progenitor Virus?
This version's totally different from the experiments of rooms causing real-time changes that I went for (Hookman). The hallucination version with Hookman which causes real-time changes was experimental and had no story. Well, Leon's arm would still become monstrous due to a virus. The game aimed at psycho horror, in modern game production it'd be referred to as an iteration. I showed the staff Jacob's Ladder and Lost Souls and exhibited the plan. The results didn't go well. We conducted experiments in which rooms changed in real-time, but I wasn't able to manage the hallucinations well. I was going to reproduce the Lost Souls restroom scene for the game, but it was very difficult in terms of capacity. It was serious work to doubly create an everyday world and the horrific world. After technology progressed, Silent Hill Homecoming was my dream come true. Even now I'd like to make a horror game using Jacob's Ladder and Lost Souls as the models. Silent Hill resembles Jacob's Ladder a lot, I'm envious. I planned a story and system of Leon being dragged into the world of the dead even if he was reading a file. He didn't know whether it was real or a hallucination due to the viral infection. I wanted to have such a story. I'd like to make a horror situation of an instantly changing dual-structured stage sometime. It wasn't possible on the GameCube.
Q. Can you tell us more about the original intentions with the Progenitor Virus and t-Virus in BIO4?
A. The Progenitor Virus was discovered within the body of an ancient immortal. He was found in a state of apparent death in an ancient geological formation. Although investigation showed the Progenitor Virus rewrote his genes, modern humans injected with it would die through intense mutations. Spencer was devoted to research in order to realize immortality, but reached a lack of funds. With that, he considered controlling the mutations using a virus which weakened the Progenitor Virus' capabilities, then mass-producing and selling mutants created with this process via cloning. That was the beginning of Umbrella. As for the t-Virus, its capabilities are considerably weaker than the Progenitor Virus. The goal of Umbrella's founders was to make themselves neo-humans. When Umbrella became a company to raise profits however, it lost sight of this purpose. Colluding with militaries of every nation, it became a profit-seeking organization. Some developers studied with its founding ideals though. Dr. William Birkin developed the G-Virus in order to create an invention surpassing the t-Virus. It was called a godly virus, or an evolutionary virus, because it's a virus capable of creating new species of life-form. It couldn't be a t-Virus.
Q. Thank you very much.
A. However, even if you like my story, you mustn't compare it with the current story. My story's a thing of the past. I don't want to interfere with the work of the current creators.
A. Dr. Birkin hadn't completed the G-Virus. It was actually at a near-complete stage. Birkin became bitter with the Chicago branch. He wished to study freely but was required to report on its development status to the Chicago branch. However, he hated being under the thumb of the Chicago branch. Therefore, he gradually neglected his communications to them, and the Chicago branch began to feel he was difficult to keep in line. Naturally, neither Umbrella Headquarters nor the Chicago branch forgave Birkin's betrayal. The death of the traitor Dr. Birkin didn't pose any particular problems. His research was most critical.
Q. Why was it necessary for the USS to infiltrate the underground lab if the Chicago branch controlled it? And what kind of opposition would they face against security guards?
A. Dr. William Birkin controlled the laboratory, but the Chicago branch had detailed blueprints of the research facility. Umbrella needed his talents but had to treat him as a threat if they couldn't control him. Once Umbrella dispatched the raid troops, William knew he couldn't be saved. The lab's guards couldn't compete with Special Forces. This setting wasn't clear at the time of BIOHAZARD 2. I studied BIOHAZARD 1 and BIOHAZARD 2 and thought about the reasoning. How'd a biohazard occur in the laboratory? How'd the biohazard spread into Raccoon City? Why was Birkin going to steal the G-Virus? Why was Umbrella trying to kill Birkin? Birkin couldn't have been a fool. However, he sent contaminants exceeding the contamination treatment facility's capacity. It was a matter of time before spies or the USS would come to abduct him. He didn't know the exact time they'd come but sensed impending danger fast approaching. The US Government wasn't pleased and sent William a rescue unit.
Q. Is there a reason Dr. Birkin gave up his ambitions to became an executive officer after the final entry of the BIOHAZARD 2 file, "Mail to the Chief"?
A. I created BIO3's circumstances to explain BIO2's files. I connected the settings of BIO1 and BIO2, created the world setting of BIO3, and determined Leon’s occupation in BIO4. In my interpretation, I imagined Birkin didn't regard the G-Virus merely as raw material for creating biological weapons. The biggest difference between the T-Virus and G-Virus is whether it's a virus for producing mutations, or a godly virus for creating a new species. I made the best story from the material I had. I didn't think William objected to bioweapons development. William aimed to give results superior to other scientists. Dr. Marcus led in t-Virus research. In addition, Alexia developed t-Veronica and led the realization of "immortality." I thought that, for William, his point was adhering to a "new life-form" that was more progressive than other scientists.
On the question of whether he wanted to be an executive, you could say it's correct, even if it differs. Why was he an executive candidate? He hardly wanted Umbrella's public influence. Don't doctors want patrons to support their research with maximum financial aid? There's a difference between Birkin and Wesker. Wesker wanted immense power for his own sake. Though he was also a researcher, I think he was obsessed with power. Thus, unlike Birkin, he shed his white coat. Birkin would've wanted to have abundant research funds through wielding Umbrella's power. He probably didn't necessarily want to become a billionaire or politician, but did want to be an executive. What's the difference? In my opinion however, I think Umbrella's demands always differed from what Birkin wanted. It's the same with us designers, managers think differently. I imagined Birkin held antipathy and doubt toward the center of Umbrella demanding progress reports on G-Virus development from him. As for William, he didn't want the G-Virus results to be forcefully seized.
Q. Is it referring to the Chicago branch in the BIO3 file, "FAX from the Directorate of Operations"?
A. I think that's a valid perspective, but I don't believe the Chicago branch operated under its own command alone. Although Umbrella's directorate of operations was definitely set up by the Chicago branch, I think key figures from the head office had control over the chain of command. The Chicago branch was the largest branch in America, but the head office was in Europe. I imagined there was some competition between the head office and the Chicago branch. Therefore, I added the settings of the American-made Hunter and Tyrant to BIOHAZARD 3.
Q. Do you recall if the Paris Laboratory from the opening of BIOHAZARD CODE:Veronica was supposed to be Umbrella Headquarters?
A. The location of Umbrella Headquarters is unknown. When I was involved in development we didn't decide it. Although you could conceive of it being on Mallet Island. For the time being, the headquarters' location is unknown. The American branch developed the Tyrant and Hunter which boosted its voice of influence within Umbrella's organization. Each of the head office's European branches sensed impending danger and rushed to develop powerful new bioweapons.
Q. Mallet Island was made for the BIO4 version of DEVIL MAY CRY. So, Umbrella HQ was first intended to be Mallet Island, then the castle from Mr. Sugimura's version, then your version?
A. My version was the same as Sugimura-sensei's version. I was his support. A branch office and lab near the head office developed the Hunter γ and Nemesis. After the incident in BIOHAZARD 3, it's expected each American branch rapidly lost power, including the Chicago branch. The Sixth Laboratory developed Nemesis. Birkin sought to create a new species. All bioweapons created by Umbrella thus far were mutations reproducible only with cloning. However, the G-Virus is different. Organisms infected and mutated by the G-Virus would be able to engage in reproductive activities and propagate. What Birkin was trying to create wasn't a weapon.
Q. He was trying to create a race of superhumans, same as Wesker?
A. That wasn't what Wesker desired. Though Umbrella expected Birkin to develop more functional weapons and demanded results, his research results slightly diverged from that. The Chicago branch desired more effective new weapons, while Birkin desired a more perfect new species of life-form. I imagined this resulted in the friction between themt. The bioweapons Birkin made bolstered the American branch's voice of influence, but if they couldn't control him, they couldn't leave him to his own devices. Birkin expected the Chicago branch to impose sanctions on him and give over all his research data to other scientists.
Q. What method did Dr. Birkin use to contact the military? By telephone?
A. It wasn't so short-term. You can't ask for assistance by phone and the American military will respond with "OK!" and come to your rescue. The US Armed Forces aren't Pizza Hut. Birkin entered into negotiations with the United States, the method's not important. The US purchased bioweapons from Umbrella, but Umbrella was a troublesome entity even for the US Government. Other countries besides the US often purchased Umbrella's weapons too. It was also considered they'd become threats to US soldiers. Birkin's American but the US Government couldn't freely use his knowledge and skills due to his affiliation with Umbrella. The doctor sought protection from the US In exchange for handing over all the research results he was familiar with, Birkin demanded personal protection from the US along with the right to conduct research in an American research institute.
Q. Did you envision a particular military unit for the US Special Forces?
A. In my setting, the US Special Forces that entered Raccoon City were Army. Although composed of soldiers who received training against bioweapons, their training and experience weren't enough since they were formed relatively recently. Maybe it was Delta Force. Despite the negotiations between the US and the doctor resulting in an agreement, there were complications.
Q. The US Special Forces were supposedly wiped out in the battle with Tyrants. Is it possible any of them survived?
A. The US Special Forces were wiped out, but it's possible an "actually, one survived" character could appear in the future. That's entirely up to the discretion of CAPCOM's scenario writers. The problem was that the US forces needed time to mobilize in order to rescue Birkin. Umbrella collaborators lurk within both the US Government and the US military. Great care needed to be taken to assemble the unit and prepare gear for the assault without alerting them. Another problem was the US Government lacking intel on Umbrella's research facility. The Raccoon City lab had complex incursion routes as a secret facility, and it took time to analyze them. Although they gained a degree of understanding from intel provided by Birkin, I imagine planning of the op was still fraught with difficulties. Since they anticipated Umbrella's interference, they also required countermeasures against bioweapons. Meanwhile, Umbrella's Chicago branch was also alarmed. They were aware of Birkin's unsettling behavior and couldn't predict when he'd betray them, taking all his research results with him. Furthermore, the prospect of him achieving even greater results at an US research institute than he had for Umbrella was a grave concern. I imagine the head office would likely investigate his liability for that. As for the people in the Chicago branch, nearly all are American, but they don't prioritize US interests.
Q. Do you have anymore details about what Barry was doing at the time of BIO3?
A. Barry's a popular character. We thought he hadn't appeared in the story for a long time and this didn't please fans. When we were working on BIO3, director Kamiya's team was developing another BIOHAZARD as a PlayStation 2 launch title. Therefore I wasn't able to write about characters director Kamiya controlled. At the same time, development advanced with CODE:Veronica, so I couldn't deal with Wesker, Leon or Claire in BIO3. However I got director Mikami's permission to write special ending stories for my unique ideas. I wrote them so as to not adversely affect the stories of Leon and Claire still in production. Regarding Barry, he was threatened by Umbrella. After BIO1, Barry left for Canada to ensure his family's safety. Since Umbrella's Chicago branch was in the US, they weren't safe. He didn't pursue the truth of the incident like Chris and Jill. His priority was protecting his precious family. However, he was tormented. I think he knew about the circumstances of Raccoon City on the news while he was hiding and living. He knew Jill stayed behind in the city and continued investigating. Therefore, he believed she might've still been staying in the city. So he believed his intuition and left Canada. Barry returned to the US and was going to enter Raccoon City via a land route, but the land routes were blockaded by the military. So, counting on a friend from his time in SWAT, he chartered a helicopter. He waited until the military left the city in order to drop the bomb, then entered the city from a low altitude. I don't know what happened after he helped Jill. The things I thought about weren't carried over. He probably lived calmly with his family.
Q. Can you tell us more about Nikolai and his combat data acquisition at the time of BIO3?
A. Nikolai's a Supervisor employed by Umbrella Headquarters and would naturally deliver all the data he escaped with to the head office. In regards to his rewards, he forcefully seized all the intel collected by his other comrades under a commission system in his contract, then eliminated them under the pretense of accidents. As he's not foolish, he wouldn't write in his report that he killed his comrades on the battlefield. There's a reward for killing Jill but Umbrella's not so much interested in Jill Valentine as an individual. They were ordered to kill S.T.A.R.S. officers they found snooping around in relation to Umbrella's bioweapons development. The reward over each member's death confirmation was equal. As Nikolai says, it's like a cheap amount. If Nemesis were to kill a member of S.T.A.R.S. and he verified it, he'd be rewarded. When the Soviet Union collapsed, Nikolai forever lost masters. He lacked beliefs or ideals, but his whole body was highly trained like a weapon and he doesn't need to act through thought. He's an anarchist after being set free, working for his own greed. The reason he works with Umbrella's because they correspond to that interest. Umbrella pays him large rewards and he can live his life fully displaying his skills. He has no loyalties. He's not interested in being promoted by Umbrella, he redeems his achievements for money. Then he demands the next battlefield. He's no berserker, but he enjoys combat. His desire's to show off his polished skills to the fullest. Combat data's provided by treatment medical records, combat tests and live combat. It's ascertained through footage and the Supervisors' eyes. Nikolai has no specific department to return to in Umbrella's organization. He has no real boss. No subordinates, either. It's evident he swears no loyalty to anyone within Umbrella's organization. When the Soviet Union collapsed, he was disillusioned by everything. He also became extremely egotistical. Only money and his life are valuable to him. He's useful as an easy to please pro within Umbrella who handles dangerous missions so long as he gets paid.
Q. Can you tell us more about Brad at the time of BIO3?
A. Brad was targeted by Nemesis. Brad didn't have that much of a tough time with Zombies, he had combat skills. He was infected by Nemesis and the reason Zombie Brad's tough is that he was infected with the strengthened virus within Nemesis' body. The reason he returned to the police station wasn't that it was a refuge. He believed there were survivors of the armed police officers in the station. He was going to ask his comrades for help. Brad seemed to be trying to somehow escape the city. However, he was beyond saving.
Q. What did you imagine Carlos doing after escaping Raccoon?
A. In my mind, Carlos also escaped the US through Mexico and lived in Chile or Colombia. He might get plastic surgery on his face again.
Q. Why didn't Lickers appear in BIO3?
A. The Licker didn't appear because the Licker's control program was complicated and control was difficult without the programmer responsible for the Licker. The responsible programmer had already been assigned to a different team. We supplemented substitutes for the Licker with the Brain Sucker and Drain Deimos. The two offpsring monsters were very good monsters. The character designer and motion designer for the monsters discussed and created them. I researched and made the setting of the monsters alongside the character designer. If it's a texture and model, making use of it is easy. The problem's AI. Though I don't know whether the control programs in those days could be referred to as AI...
Q. What's the clock tower's backstory?
A. This place was originally a church. However, we were forbidden to handle facilities for particular religions in games, like Christianity. It was a countermeasure against complaints from overseas groups. It had no particular backstory, but it was appointed as the UBCS unit recall point. Since the clock tower was a building that stood out well in Raccoon City, it was suitable for a transport chopper to target. As it was almost in the center of the city, it was used as the new type bomb's target. It's just like the Hiroshima Peace Memorial.
Q. Can you tell us more about the hospital's head doctor?
A. The head doctor was a dead man who became a Zombie right before finishing the vaccine. In the initial closed setting I made, the head doctor was a professor in a prestigious medical university scouted by the pharmaceutical company, Umbrella. He was a virtuous and brilliant man with absolutely nothing to do with Umbrella's darkside. He investigated the true nature of the t-Virus all night for several days, even after the evacuation advisory within Umbrella, refusing to abandon the patients being brought in one after another, and was trying to create a vaccine. However, the staff lost in the battle with the zombified patients and in the end he turned into a Zombie himself.
Q. Could you tell us more about the use of Paracelsus?
A. The "Philosopher's Stone" was decorated on Paracelsus' sword. There was documentation in which the Philosopher's Stone was thought to "be a magnet." Paracelsus had the opinion sick people could be treated with magnets. In addition, Paracelsus created the Homunculus. A Homunculus is artificial life. Paracelsus began producing Homunculi and killed them using a sword decorated with the Philosopher's Stone. I made it the railgun's name. The railgun in the waste plant was brought as a weapon to kill the artificial creatures known as G-Organisms. By the way, have you played Rise of Nightmares? I participated in its development and made the mysterious character called "Marchosias." There's a joke I hid in this game. The final weapon that shows up is called the Sword of Paracelsus. I planned this weapon. It's a magic gauntlet attached to the right hand that shoots fireballs. I was a stage planner but my stage designs were modified by SEGA's young planners. I made suggestions about the story, but my suggestions weren't adopted.
Q. Do you have anymore information on the Nemesis Project at the time of BIO3?
A. The Nemesis Project was intended to create bioweapons superior to the Tyrants created in North America. Nemesis can attach to and control any vertebrate. It should essentially create a humanoid weapon equivalent to the Tyrant. However, though regrettable, it seems the European lab lacked an abundant budget since Umbrella's management considered the Tyrant's mass-production more important. The Pursuer still became a humanoid weapon exceeding the Tyrant's specs. It should be possible to commercialize it if a more human appearance can be realized. I don't know anything about the Nemesis Project afterwards. The Nemesis-T Type was deployed into Raccoon City for a combat exam as a trial product. I imagine high quality combat data was recovered. For a trial product, Nemesis lacks factors necessary for a weapon. For example, there's no room for improvement in regards to going out of control from too much damage. Additionally, a weapon must be capable of striking fear in the enemy, but also needs to be trustworthy among comrades. Nemesis is merely a monster with a still gruesome outward appearance. It'd be perfect if its figure became akin to a beautiful Greek sculpture, like the Terminator. The Nemesis isn't capable of looking similar to a human. It must at least not inspire a sense of disgust in allies. This is the same reason the Hunter β was given an ugly appearance.
Q. In your opinion, what would the outcome be if G-Organism were to be injected with a Nemesis parasite?
A. This is my own expectation, but if you allowed Nemesis to parasitize a G-Organism, the Nemesis would die unable to parasitize the G-Organism, which would break down the Nemesis' secreted fluids with its powerful self-regenerative ability. The parasite's a weak creature. It would die immediately if it parasitized and took root in a host it failed to acquire nourishment from. An afflicted G-Organism parasitized by Nemesis would suffer extreme pain and make full use of its self-healing ability with all its might, killing the parasite within the day, then the G-Organism would recover. When you inject the G-Virus into a creature parasitized by Nemesis, such as the Pursuer, since the G-Virus would destroy the cells already converted by Nemesis, it would awaken berserk like in BIO3 and die within a few hours. I'd expect it'd finally end up like the Pursuer in the third form, then die.
Q. What happens to non-Tyrants injected with the Nemesis parasite in your opinion?
A. Nemesis coexists with the t-Virus, bestowing further power with secreted fluid. A Zombie's abilities would be vastly inferior but it'd obtain some intelligence and an overcompensating feature like the Pursuer. But, like the Pursuer, it's merely a decently fierce animal with some intelligence if it isn't educated by handlers. It's impossible to remove Nemesis from a host once it's parasitized. Nemesis is fused in the process of controlling the host. Both Nemesis and the host would die if you surgically removed it by force. Nemesis elevates intelligence and I added the story of it being trained by human trainers. Nemesis understands human speech and can identify people from visual materials. Nemesis-T revolting is described, but I myself didn't write that, though I remember looking over those manuscripts at the time. I think I approved the ideas of other staff or writers who wrote the guidebook's manuscript. The Nemesis has no specific weakness. It's weak to dryness, weak to light, weak to cold and weak to heat. In other words, it's weak to all stimuli in the outside world. It'd die immediately without a host. The parasite was designed to strengthen a B.O.W. If it killed and ate a bioweapon, it wouldn't be marketable. It achieves a life-span once stable. Nemesis was something designed to strengthen a B.O.W. created using the t-Virus. Since it absorbs the host's t-Virus to complete its parasitism, normal humans can't be hosts. Nemesis is different from the Facehugger in Alien. Nemesis has no biological functions for independence. If the host dies, it can't move to possess a new one.
Q. How powerful is the G-Virus compared to the Progenitor Virus?
A. I can't answer that question. There's no standard comparable to a "kill ratio" used when explaining fighter performance. There are no scenes depicting combat between Progenitor Virus creatures and G-Virus creatures within the story. Therefore I can't simply compare the two. As I explained, at the time I was involved with the planning, the Progenitor Virus was conceived as "a virus capable of creating immortal creatures." However its effects were too intense and unusable for modern creatures, including humans. At that point, the t-Virus was somehow created under "a process to weaken its effects" to a degree allowing it to make modern humans immortal. The G-Virus was invented as something totally different from research on the Progenitor Virus and t-Virus. Umbrella had many t-Virus researchers, with independently developed t-Veronica and t-Marcus reflecting concepts conceived by each researcher. Dr. William Birkin may not have been satisfied merely inheriting the research results of such seniors. He proposed that neither the Progenitor Virus or t-Virus sufficed. The G-Virus was said to be a divine virus. The reason's because the G-Virus is a virus capable of single-handedly "creating new breeds." Other viruses convert an individual into an immortal being by causing mutations, but can't spread via sexual reproduction. Even if clones are grown, different individuals with new genetic information can't be created. When a male and female of the same creature are injected with the G-Virus, they transform into a perfect G-Organism and the virus can produce descendents via reproduction. The creature's physically stronger than the original and transforms into an advanced type of life-form. The concept never got off the ground in BIO2 and unfortunately Dr. William Birkin was an imperfect monster, but I thought about the doctor's concept of "creating new species." If you think about it based on the above explanation, you can understand it's insignificant to compare them as bioweapons with combat abilities.
Q. I admire the passion and dedication you have for the series after so many years. You should consider returning to CAPCOM as a main series writer.
A. The reason's simple: because myself and others left CAPCOM. I like CAPCOM. I like BIOHAZARD. But my whole livelihood's in Tokyo, not Osaka.
Q. I see. Now according to BIOHAZARD GUN SURVIVOR, Umbrella's European branch on Sheena Island held Dr. Birkin responsible for what happened in Raccoon City...
A. GUN SURVIVOR's like "Alien vs. Predator" to "Alien". It's better to think of it as separate.
Q. GUN SURVIVOR was written by the late Mr. Sugimura of FLAGSHIP, and was mentioned in the opening narration of "BIOHAZARD 0"...
A. "BIOHAZARD 0" was under FLAGSHIP's control. In that sense, it's closer to GUN SURVIVOR. CODE:Veronica, BIO0 and BIO3 were made by separate companies. BIO3 was made only with the staff from CAPCOM’s head office. CODE:Veronica was a game made by Director Kato, loaned to a developer named TOSE. Although BIO0 was made by TOSE too, FLAGSHIP wrote the scenario. My senior Mr. Kato wrote CODE:Veronica. Therefore, by way of the setting, it’s something outside of Mr. Mikami’s recognition. Since BIO3 was made in the production studio Mr. Mikami led directly, it naturally reflected his will. Indeed, GUN SURVIVOR's similar to BIO0. The settings written by the FLAGSHIP scenario writers probably didn’t obtain Mr. Mikami’s consent. BIOHAZARD OUTBREAK's treated similar to BIO0. It’s official, but doesn’t seem to be regarded as important. Various people are involved with BIOHAZARD and each creates a story with unique interpretations. That side's made liberally. It may be different now.
Q. Understood.
A. Let's continue. Feeling a sense of impending danger in the slow moving operation to rescue him, Birkin thought of buying time. In my opinion, the biohazard in the lab was no accident. Birkin intentionally caused the biohazard. As mentioned above, Umbrella's elite troops wouldn't be held back by the lab's defensive traps and security guards. In addition, it was also difficult to stop spies from infiltrating. It was only a matter of time before Birkin would be either abducted or assassinated. However, infiltrating the research facility wouldn't be easy if it was sealed off by a biohazard. If Raccoon City were also contaminated, intrusion routes would be further cut off. The US military's Special Forces were organized during that borrowed time and carried out a breach op. Umbrella also took action to prevent Birkin's defection to the US Government. The elite U.S.S. was dispatched from the head office and sent into Raccoon City at the Chicago branch's request. Then six Tyrants carried in by helicopter were deployed to support the op's expansion. As a consequence, Birkin was assassinated by the U.S.S. It was a result of U.S.S. having more accurate intel than the US military. They had detailed information on the secret facility, as well as possessing more combat experience with bioweapons than the US military's Special Forces. While they were no match for Birkin infected with the G-Virus, they were administered an advanced antiviral drug, giving them the ability to eliminate Zombies with issue. In the end, the US Government realized Birkin's rescue had failed and altered their objective. BIOHAZARD 3 tells the story of that transition. Once Birkin's rescue failed, the US Government feared Umbrella would recover his research results. If his research results like the G-Virus were brought to Umbrella, there was no telling what terrible weapons would be brought to enemies of the United States later on. Therefore, the US sought to hasten the execution of the "Sterilization Strategy." That operation's true purpose wasn't to prevent the spread of the virus. Raccoon City's setting was originally a city that existed in isolation within a midwestern desert. Since it was surrounded by arid desert, there was no need to be concerned about the virus spreading. It could be said there was no danger to the extent a new bomb had to be dropped and 100,000 victims had to be sacrificed. The US Government intended to prevent Umbrella from retrieving Birkin's research results, in total disregard of survivors. In my opinion.
Q. That's a lot of information. I wonder why CAPCOM only released bits and pieces in supplemental material like "biohazard archives."
A. Well, I didn't write that in detail but I told everything I knew to Producer Kobayashi and he had it documented. I'm thankful to him. Who emerged victorious in this conflict? I've prepared several answers. First, the G-Virus was recovered by HUNK and Birkin was assassinated. Judging solely by these results, Umbrella's entire objective was achieved. However the United States also saw results. One was the opportunity to form a bioweapon response force. Although the soldiers trained up to that point were tough too, they failed to achieve results. Consequently, the US military arranged to go through with reviewing its forces. That military organization hired Leon, he would've been murdered if he didn't comply. He obeyed the US Government in order to ensure Sherry's safety. With that, the United States succeeded in training a tough specialist. Like the movie G.I.JOE, huh (laughs). Another's the existence of Sherry. I imagined there were two possibilities for Sherry's future. I intended to leave the interpretation of the G-Virus to people who'd make stories after mine.
The reason the G-Virus is referred to as a godly virus is that if male and female humans infected with the G-Virus have sex, a G-Human will be born. In other words, they can reproduce and create new individuals, enabling the creation of a new human race surpassing modern humans. If dogs mutated by the G-Virus were to mate, G-Puppies would be born. G-Dogs and G-Humans cannot mate. That's what I imagined. It fundamentally differs from the T-Virus. However, please look at BIOHAZARD 2. Birkin became a monster when he administered the G-Virus. It caused deformities. I believed that was far from Birkin's dream. Could it be because it was incomplete? At BIOHAZARD 2's point in time, it was concluded to have failed. In my view there was another answer though. Perhaps some element was missing? That's what I thought. If it failed due to his injuries, why'd the doctor try to avoid death by injecting himself with the G-Virus? One could say it was simply out of a desire for revenge, but I would add another interpretation. There was Annette's research. Dr. Annette was conducting research alongside Dr. William. She was apparently researching a vaccine for the G-Virus. I wonder though, does a virus created to transform living organisms even need a vaccine? The t-Virus was a virus created to produce bioweapons using mutations, it wasn't originally intended for use on humans.
Q. What about the DEVIL vaccine?
A. I imagined the DEVIL Annette was developing wasn't a vaccine. DEVIL developed by Annette might've been a stabilizing agent for controlling the G-Virus' sudden mutations, preventing turning into a mutant. Rewriting of DNA and RNA with the G-Virus is something very sudden, couldn't there be cases where it fails to transform correctly into a new organism? In those cases, they may become a monster like Birkin and lose their rational mind. I prepared two conclusions, one follows the original setting. Retaining the original setting would make Sherry the only girl in the world with G-Virus antibodies. The American government failed to recover the G-Virus itself, but they did recover a human carrying G-Virus antibodies. A story could be told of Sherry, sheltered as the adopted child of a high-ranking government official, spending a harsh youth as a research subject.
In the other ending I thought of, Sherry mutates when infected with the G-Virus. On the surface she appears to be cured by Annette's DEVIL, but in the story she's really been transformed into a perfected G-Organism. Birkin was nearly dead and gambled. He injected himself with the G-Virus without DEVIL in a bid to withstand the mutation and be reborn as a neo-human. In my idea, when the G-Virus suddenly and rapidly rewrites a living thing's DNA, problems arise. Although William also understood that, he couldn't help but gamble and injected himself with the G-Virus in an effort to recover from his serious injuries. But that failed. Annette predicted that to some extent. Thus she risked her life to give her daughter DEVIL. Annette was a totally normal scientist and a capable assistant to William.
I conceived of a story where Sherry's already no longer human but became a totally different life-form. If Sherry became a G-Organism, Sherry couldn't start a family even if she had sex with a human man. Sherry has no relatives and possessed abilities surpassing humanity. She could even be expected to oppose Wesker. A "powerful Sherry" who became a neo-human as a result of her father's ambition could be made into the leading role. This was the second plan I considered. I think Dr. William Birkin was someone with immense ambition. Birkin sought to achieve research results surpassing those of other past researchers. He needed to surpass "t-Marcus." And he needed to surpass Alexia's "t-Veronica", she in particular was said to be a genius. Mutations alone were insufficient to surpass their achievements. One could say Dr. Birkin sought to create a god. However, speaking of whether that was the effective weapon Umbrella desired, it may not be the case.
Q. Did Hiroshima play a part in planning the destruction of Raccoon City?
A. Ha-ha. I had no such intent. I’m not a citizen of Hiroshima, nor do I have relatives in Hiroshima. It was first and foremost a major production reason we decided to destroy Raccoon City. Of course, it's not true an A-bomb was dropped. I wrote it as a new bomb similar to a "vaporizing bomb", a new bomb with destructive power equal to a tactical nuclear weapon, but the details are unclear. It's something like the N2 mine that appears in Evangelion. The risk was too big with nuclear weapons on American soil. The EMP of nuclear weapons is serious.
Q. Do you have any recollections of Mr. Sugimura and Mr. Fukasaku?
Mr. Sugimura was a very great man. You mightn't be aware. Do you know Lupin The Third? Mr. Sugimura wrote scenarios in this anime's first season and the AFRO LUPIN '98 movie. He also wrote the scenario of a drama that was very popular in Japan. He also laid out Power Rangers, that was Mr. Sugimura's scenario. Afterward, Kamen Rider Black. He came to the game industry after then wrote the scenarios of BIO2 and CODE:Veronica. He was very popular among ex-staff. Well, he was a dislikeable person on the job, but a very nice man in private. Mr. Sugimura had become a classical-style writer, so he lacked new expressions necessary to match games. He maintained his ability in essential areas however. He had a lot of pupils better than me, but I'm proud of having a relation with him.
Ordinary people seem to think Mr. Mikami made every BIO game alone. It's the same as ordinary people being unaware of me for example. Mr. Sugimura didn't work with Mr. Mikami on a professional level. However, Mr. Mikami liked Mr. Sugimura. I called him a week before Mr. Sugimura died. I had left Clover Studio and was about to go back to Tokyo. A consultation working together with Mr. Sugimura was to be held in Tokyo. Just before returning to Tokyo, I heard news of Mr. Sugimura's death. I grieved very much. I was very sad. I'd grown up watching Mr. Sugimura's work.
I supported Director Fukasaku on Clock Tower 3. I liked Director Kinji Fukasaku too. However, he died before Clock Tower 3 was released. Then Mr. Sugimura died several years later too. Mr. Fukasaku's one of the most famed movie directors in Japan. He supervised all the CG movies in Clock Tower 3. It's his poshumous work. Clock Tower 3's in Kinji Fukasaku's image from beginning to end. It's his last finished product. Director Fukasaku was brave and uncompromising.
Q. Could you tell us more about the scrapped versions of BIO4?
A. I had a major role under the director at this time as a planner. I tried out various situations under Director Shibata. A ghost horror version, etc. In the castle awakening version, I organized the ideas and stages while Mr. Sugimura wrote the scenario. This was in no way my decision, but the story was about anti-B.O.W. spec ops unit member Leon infiltrating Oswell E. Spencer's castle. The spec ops unit deployed by the company Wesker belonged to infiltrate the castle earlier and are wiped out, while Leon's own troops snuck in afterwards and were also wiped out. Leon's infected by a specialized viral weapon they brought in and on the verge of death. Wesker didn't appear himself, just his company's unit. Underground, an ancient human made immortal by the Progenitor Virus had become mummified and slumbered. He was the Progenitor itself and the ultimate weapon was said to be produced from him.
The castle awakening version was close to the usual BIO atmosphere. However, Leon's right hand would become a monstrosity due to a virus. The story had Leon, while in a state of low life expectancy, meeting a girl and B.O.W. dog captured as test subjects in the basement trying to escape above ground. Leon and the girl were the main characters of this stage of that version. In the middle of the story, an infected Leon, ready to die, heads toward the basement to try the self-destruct to wipe out the origin of the t-Virus forever. The castle version didn't have the psycho horror element, it was orthodox BIO save for the fact Leon was infected with a virus, had little time left, and could use his monstrous arm as a weapon. The two-sided composition wasn't on a comparable scale to BIO2 and the costs were too much, and moreover, the quantity of data for the dog and heroine was very heavy and we weren't able to display it with the GameCube. As a result of trying all tests, we concluded it was impossible. The contents weren't necessarily bad, traces of the tests are the Ganado dogs that appear in BIO4. The reason there are elements common to Devil May Cry is they shared the same purpose. The purpose of biohazard 4 was to add one ending to the story of Umbrella. Who's Umbrella founder Spencer? What's the Progenitor Virus?
This version's totally different from the experiments of rooms causing real-time changes that I went for (Hookman). The hallucination version with Hookman which causes real-time changes was experimental and had no story. Well, Leon's arm would still become monstrous due to a virus. The game aimed at psycho horror, in modern game production it'd be referred to as an iteration. I showed the staff Jacob's Ladder and Lost Souls and exhibited the plan. The results didn't go well. We conducted experiments in which rooms changed in real-time, but I wasn't able to manage the hallucinations well. I was going to reproduce the Lost Souls restroom scene for the game, but it was very difficult in terms of capacity. It was serious work to doubly create an everyday world and the horrific world. After technology progressed, Silent Hill Homecoming was my dream come true. Even now I'd like to make a horror game using Jacob's Ladder and Lost Souls as the models. Silent Hill resembles Jacob's Ladder a lot, I'm envious. I planned a story and system of Leon being dragged into the world of the dead even if he was reading a file. He didn't know whether it was real or a hallucination due to the viral infection. I wanted to have such a story. I'd like to make a horror situation of an instantly changing dual-structured stage sometime. It wasn't possible on the GameCube.
Q. Can you tell us more about the original intentions with the Progenitor Virus and t-Virus in BIO4?
A. The Progenitor Virus was discovered within the body of an ancient immortal. He was found in a state of apparent death in an ancient geological formation. Although investigation showed the Progenitor Virus rewrote his genes, modern humans injected with it would die through intense mutations. Spencer was devoted to research in order to realize immortality, but reached a lack of funds. With that, he considered controlling the mutations using a virus which weakened the Progenitor Virus' capabilities, then mass-producing and selling mutants created with this process via cloning. That was the beginning of Umbrella. As for the t-Virus, its capabilities are considerably weaker than the Progenitor Virus. The goal of Umbrella's founders was to make themselves neo-humans. When Umbrella became a company to raise profits however, it lost sight of this purpose. Colluding with militaries of every nation, it became a profit-seeking organization. Some developers studied with its founding ideals though. Dr. William Birkin developed the G-Virus in order to create an invention surpassing the t-Virus. It was called a godly virus, or an evolutionary virus, because it's a virus capable of creating new species of life-form. It couldn't be a t-Virus.
Q. Thank you very much.
A. However, even if you like my story, you mustn't compare it with the current story. My story's a thing of the past. I don't want to interfere with the work of the current creators.
Yasuhisa Kawamura
Resume:
Dino Crisis 1 (Movie and Event Part Scenario)
BIOHAZARD 3 LAST ESCAPE (Planning, Scenario, File Text, All Worldview)
BIOHAZARD 4 (Part Planning, Scenario)
Devil May Cry (Part Planning)
Clock Tower 3 (Movie Part Motion Capture Assistant Director)
Dino Crisis 3 (Movie and Event Part Scenario)
Meiwaku Seijin Panicmaker (Planning, Scenario, File Text, All Worldview)
Blade Dancer PSP (Quest Scenario)
biohazard DEGENERATION (Special Thanks)
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (Designer)
Rise of Nightmares (Designer)
Mr. Kawamura can be found on Twitter (@yas_kawamura). Although he is not fluent in English, he is able to read Twitter messages and sentences which are not too long, so feel free to thank him for his work on the series and for such an amazing interview.
Resume:
Dino Crisis 1 (Movie and Event Part Scenario)
BIOHAZARD 3 LAST ESCAPE (Planning, Scenario, File Text, All Worldview)
BIOHAZARD 4 (Part Planning, Scenario)
Devil May Cry (Part Planning)
Clock Tower 3 (Movie Part Motion Capture Assistant Director)
Dino Crisis 3 (Movie and Event Part Scenario)
Meiwaku Seijin Panicmaker (Planning, Scenario, File Text, All Worldview)
Blade Dancer PSP (Quest Scenario)
biohazard DEGENERATION (Special Thanks)
El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron (Designer)
Rise of Nightmares (Designer)
Mr. Kawamura can be found on Twitter (@yas_kawamura). Although he is not fluent in English, he is able to read Twitter messages and sentences which are not too long, so feel free to thank him for his work on the series and for such an amazing interview.