Katsuhiro Harada recently asked Masahiro Sakurai fans what they were most interested to know about the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate game director. Apart from a lot of questions about Kid Icarus: Uprising and specific Kirby games, many people are noticeably worried about Sakurai's health.
Sakurai himself also realises this, and so Harada got the Smash Bros. creator to tell the viewers himself. Apparently, he's doing "okay" right now. Here's the key moment:
Not long after this, Sakurai reiterated how he is doing "okay" while thanking everyone and even apologising for troubling fans. He did though use the same question to talk about a shoulder problem he used to have:
"There was a time where I had a problem with my shoulder. It was years ago and it's fine now. People at my age are more likely to get stiff shoulders. In many cases the cause is unknown. But in my case, the cause was clear, which was calcific tendinitis…When I got an X-ray I saw these lime water-looking rice grains in there. I asked if they can do surgery but they didn't recommend it…It took a lot of time to go away. When it hurt I had a block injection.
He finished up by mentioning how the only thing that bothers him "right now" is dry eyes. He realises it "can't be helped" and uses eye drops. While this doesn't sound very good at all for Sakurai, he did also mention his exercise routine – which includes riding an exercise bike while watching TV and gaming, and also lifting 18kg dumbbells. He promises to be careful!
Sakurai has been known to push himself to his limits when making new games and unfortunately, it has come at the expense of his health over the years – which is why some fans have raised their concerns. For example, during the development of Smash Ultimate, he battled through health issues with an IV drip. He's also mentioned himself how he doesn't really drink water and prefers Coca-Cola Zero, and how he typically goes to bed around 2:30 am and wakes up at 8:30 am.
Sakurai is currently hard at work on the final DLC fighter for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and after this, he probably deserves a nice long holiday. The final episode of this special will air next week.
[source youtu.be]