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Kazutaka Kodaka, the creator behind Danganronpa and The Hundred Line: Last Defense Academy, recently held an “ask me anything” session on X where he answered questions unrelated to his games. Among topics ranging from favorite anime to life advice, one question stood out: how do you get wild, risky project ideas approved by a company?
Kodaka’s answer was surprisingly blunt. When asked how to turn ambitious ideas into real products at a company that typically rejects “incredibly unsafe” projects with low sales potential, he suggested creators need to “deceive your company.”
会社を騙すんですよ。
会社の中にいながらクリエイティブがやりたいなら、会社の言いなりになってたら無理。言いなりになったフリをしてでもやりたい事をやる。会社を利用する。ま、それで何かあっても雇ったヤツが悪いw https://t.co/FFQEt4bchN— Kazutaka kodaka/小高和剛 (@kazkodaka) February 4, 2026
According to Kodaka, getting original work approved is nearly impossible if you simply follow every company directive. His advice is to keep working on what you enjoy, even if it means appearing to follow the rules while pushing your own vision. “Use your company,” he wrote in his response, jokingly adding that if things go wrong, the person who hired you takes the blame anyway.
This advice comes from personal experience. During his time at Spike, Kodaka faced serious pushback when trying to get Danganronpa off the ground. In a previous YouTube interview, he revealed that the game’s dark themes and niche genre made upper management uncomfortable. The concept of high school students killing each other was rejected repeatedly, with executives calling it a game that “promotes bullying” and predicting poor sales due to market competition.
Danganronpa approved after multiple rejections and shares advice for pitching risky creative projects.Despite multiple rejections at company meetings, Kodaka didn’t give up. A producer eventually suggested he bypass the usual channels and pitch directly to Spike’s president. Confident that Danganronpa would be a hit, Kodaka was prepared to quit if the project wasn’t approved. Fortunately, the president took a more relaxed approach and greenlit the project immediately.
Kodaka’s story shows that even successful creators face rejection, but persistence and finding the right person to champion your idea can make all the difference.
