Yuzuru Hanyu: “Wait, is this real? No way” — Figure Skater Thrilled Over Remake of the Game That Shaped Him

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The story

On September 21st, Clear River Games announced the release of “Estpolis Biography I&II,” a remaster of Taito’s RPG series “Estpolis Biography” (known in the West as the “Lufia” series), and figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu reacted with joy on his official X account, saying “Wait, is this real? No way…” He has reportedly called this game his personal “origin point.” However, since Estpolis Biography II was released in 1995, just a year after Hanyu was born in 1994, many on the thread pointed out the timeline discrepancy. Meanwhile, plenty of others admitted they’d never even heard of the game, with some posts praising it as an underrated gem.

Yuzuru Hanyu: “Wait, is this real? No way…” — Figure skater thrilled by the announcement of “Estpolis Biography I&II,” a game he’s called his personal starting point

Mon, Sep 21, 1:45 PM

On September 21st, professional figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu posted an excited reaction on his official X account to Clear River Games’ announcement of “Estpolis Biography I&II,” a bundled remaster of Taito’s RPGs “Estpolis Biography” and “Estpolis Biography II.”

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

What people said

3AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:02
At this point the Japanese game industry can only milk mobile gacha off the young crowd and remakes off the old guys. Only From Software, Nintendo, and Sony — who actually spend money getting overseas devs to make games like Ghost of Tsushima — are any good anymore.
5AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:03
Calling this a 'joyful' comment? He's literally saying 'no way,' that's him rejecting it.
7AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:03
Trying to one-up Shoma Uno by flexing his gamer cred?
9AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:04
What's 'no way' about it? Since when is 'no way' an expression of joy? Makes no sense.
10AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:05
Normally you'd go with Minerva Saga, right?
13AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:11
Is it actually any good?
32AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:26
Re: #13
The first one's a pretty standard RPG that's rough to play now (though the story's good), but II beefs up the characters and storytelling, and the dungeon puzzle elements are fun too. That said, the story hits twice as hard if you play I before II.
81AnonymousSep 24, 2026 02:15
Re: #13
It's good enough to stand alongside series like Glory of Heracles, Kaijuu Monogatari (Shell Monster Story), and Breath of Fire.
17AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:13
Never heard of it. First time I'm even hearing the title.
18AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:13
Glory of Heracles, yeah. Also Metal Max Returns.
23AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:16
Yuzuru Hanyu

@
A textbook case of 'it takes one to know one.' The more first-rate someone is, the more they rate Hanyu highly. Only second-rate, third-rate people (or worse) trash-talk him.
27AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:23
Why did he get divorced so fast again?
Does having obsessive fans really make an ordinary civilian wife feel unsafe in Japan?
33AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:27
Re: #27
Why'd he even get married in the first place?
35AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:30
Re: #27
That's just the official line — wasn't it that his parents were against it from the start?
28AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:23
Estpolis Biography II came out right around when Hanyu was born, right? The timeline doesn't add up.
30AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:24
Re: #28
Maybe his parents owned it.
29AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:23
Neverland Co. — the team that later made Chaos Seed and the Dreamcast title Asuka Kenzan.
31AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:25
Never heard of this game at all.
Going by the screenshots, it gives off a Fire Emblem-meets-Final Fantasy vibe.
34AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:28
His 'origin point'? He's from a generation that couldn't have played it in real time.
37AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:31
II came out in 1995 — released when Hanyu was 1 year old.
42AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:33
They'd better fully port over II's slot machine minigame too, or I won't be happy.
43AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:33
Wonder if his fans will actually play it.
Hanyu's fans, I mean.
44AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:33
Unless it was through his parents or siblings, Hanyu wouldn't really have had a chance to play Estpolis Biography.

There was a spin-off released on Game Boy Advance — isn't that what he actually means?
45AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:34
I'm around 40 and this is the first time I've ever heard of this game \(^o^)/
48AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:37
Hanyu's fanbase is 60-plus these days.
These days he's basically 'the guy who sells Winnie-the-Pooh bears' (a nod to fans famously tossing Pooh plushies onto the ice for him).
49AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:37
Games you played during puberty stick with you.
Especially the ones that were a small comfort in between grueling practice sessions.
50AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:38
Reviving nostalgic old games is great and all, but I don't have the time or energy I did back then, so I want an EXP/money boost option — crank it up to like 5x max so I can breeze through it.
52AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:39
You end up satisfied just grinding the hack-and-slash dungeons along the way and quit right there.
53AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:40
It's a classic, but a pretty niche pick.
Also, didn't realize he even had time to game — though with Uno around too, maybe it's actually a good way to unwind?
54AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:42
The age just doesn't line up at all — there's no way a 31-year-old is part of the Super Famicom generation.
55AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:43
Wasn't he also really into Heisei Shin Onigashima?
56AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:43
Isn't he talking about the Game Boy Advance spin-off?
He's not from the Super Famicom generation.
57AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:44
Haven't seen his name in a while, and yep, he's still exactly the same.
58AnonymousSep 24, 2026 00:45
Re: #1
>"Wait, is this real? No way…"

He probably means 'no way' as in he can't believe it's coming out on something other than the Super Famicom.

Background and Key Points of This Topic

“Estpolis Biography” is a Super Famicom RPG that Taito released in 1993, with the sequel “II” following in 1995; developer Neverland Co. later became known for titles like “Chaos Seed” as well. While not especially famous, it’s recognized for having a devoted fanbase thanks to its dungeon puzzle elements and hefty storytelling. Since Yuzuru Hanyu was born in 1994, he was only about a year old when “II” came out, and many on the thread pointed out that he “shouldn’t be part of the real-time generation” for it — though some speculated he may have encountered it as a child through his family. The thread also contained numerous unverified rumors about Hanyu’s personal life, but since these can’t be confirmed, this article does not cover them.

*This article is composed from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread “[Entertainment] Yuzuru Hanyu: “Wait, is this real? No way…” — Figure skater thrilled by the announcement of “Estpolis Biography I&II,” a game he’s called his personal starting point.”

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