You probably remember that weird period in 2018 when Google's search engine seemed to have a total meltdown. If you typed "Who created Kirby?" or searched for the legendary director of Super Smash Bros., you didn't see the polite, youthful face of the actual Masahiro Sakurai. Instead, you were greeted by a photo of a large Black man in a mugshot.
It was bizarre. It was confusing. Honestly, for the "13-year-olds of the community" (as one Redditor put it), it was the peak of comedy. But for everyone else, it felt like a glitch in the Matrix.
The Mystery of the Masahiro Sakurai Black Guy Photo
Let's get the facts straight right away. The man in that infamous photo is not Masahiro Sakurai. Obviously.
The image that haunted Google's Knowledge Graph for months actually originated from a parody Twitter account. This account used the name Masahiro Sakurai and a handle that looked official enough to fool the algorithms. The profile picture they chose was a mugshot of an unidentified man that had been circulating on "funny mugshot" websites since at least 2009.
Why did Google pick it up?
Basically, Google’s search bots are obsessed with authority and engagement. The parody account had a massive following and high engagement rates. When people searched for "Masahiro Sakurai," the algorithm saw this hyper-active Twitter profile as a relevant, authoritative source. It pulled the profile picture directly into the search results box, effectively "re-skinning" one of the most famous game developers in history.
Who was the man in the picture?
There’s been a ton of speculation about the actual identity of the man in the mugshot. Some corners of the internet, like certain GameFAQs boards, tried to track down his name, claiming he was a man from Michigan or someone known by various internet nicknames like "Big N***a" or "Blakurai."
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However, much of this is unverified or conflated with other memes. The photo itself is an old internet relic. It appeared on sites like Izismile in May 2009 in compilations of "hilarious mugshots." No credible source has ever officially linked a specific name or crime to that specific individual in a way that sticks. He became a "ghost" of the internet—a face without a name that somehow ended up representing a Japanese gaming icon.
Why the Meme Refuses to Die
Even though Google fixed the "glitch" by late 2018, the image of the "Black Sakurai" became a permanent part of Smash Bros. lore. It wasn't just a technical error; it was a moment of collective internet absurdity.
You’ve likely seen the jokes. People started calling him "Massive Hero Soccer Guy" or "Mashed Potato Samurai"—deliberately mangling Sakurai's name while referencing the photo.
- The Echo Fighter Joke: Since Smash Ultimate introduced the concept of "Echo Fighters," fans joked that the Black man in the photo was actually Sakurai's Echo Fighter.
- The "Real Form" Theory: In the darker, weirder corners of Discord and Reddit, a joke developed that this was Sakurai's "true form" or that he had undergone "cosmetic surgery" to become the Asian man we see today.
It's all nonsense, of course. But it’s the kind of nonsense that thrives in a community that waits years for character reveals and analyzes every frame of a Nintendo Direct.
How Sakurai Actually Reacted
Masahiro Sakurai is known for being incredibly disciplined. He works through calcific tendonitis, he skips holidays to polish frame data, and he generally stays away from the "messier" side of internet culture.
Interestingly, there were rumors that Sakurai actually acknowledged the meme. During a "Harada’s Bar" interview (with Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada), Sakurai discussed his distaste for certain memes that misrepresent him or put words in his mouth. While he didn't explicitly point to the mugshot and say "that's not me," he has been vocal about wanting fans to focus on the games rather than the cult of personality surrounding him.
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In a 2024 interview with GamesRadar, he famously said:
"It's best to just play games, instead of looking at who made them."
He’s a man who values his privacy and his work. Having his identity hijacked by a random mugshot for six months probably wasn't his favorite career highlight.
The Technical Side: Why Google Failed
You might wonder how a multi-billion dollar company let this happen for over half a year.
It's a classic case of Search Engine Manipulation. Google's "Knowledge Graph" (that box on the right of your screen) is automated. It pulls data from Wikipedia, social media, and news sites. When the parody account became more "active" than the real Sakurai—who, at the time, was mostly posting in Japanese and didn't have a verified English Twitter account—the algorithm simply made a mistake.
It took thousands of user reports and eventually a manual intervention from Google’s team to purge the image. This incident is now frequently cited by SEO experts as a warning of how "knowledge panels" can be vandalized by high-engagement parody accounts.
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Where is the Meme Now?
Today, if you search for Masahiro Sakurai, you’ll see the real deal. You’ll see the man who created Kirby at age 19. You’ll see the creator of Kid Icarus: Uprising.
But the "Black Sakurai" hasn't vanished. It lives on in "Smash Bros. Iceberg" videos on YouTube. It's a staple of "You had to be there" Twitter threads. It’s a reminder of a time when the internet was a little more chaotic and a little less "fixed" by AI filters.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Researchers
If you’re trying to navigate these weird internet rabbit holes, keep these points in mind:
- Check the Source: Most "viral facts" about Sakurai's personal life are actually jokes from parody accounts like "Sora_Sakurai" (which wasn't the real him for a long time).
- Use Archive.org: If you want to see the original search result for yourself, the WayBack Machine has snapshots of the "Who created Kirby?" search results from March 2018.
- Respect the Creator: While the memes are funny, remember that Sakurai has frequently spoken about the mental and physical toll of game development.
The "Black Sakurai" story is ultimately a tale of how easily the digital truth can be distorted. It wasn't a secret twin or a hidden history—just a very successful troll and a very confused algorithm.
To dive deeper into the actual history of the series, you can follow Sakurai's official YouTube channel, "Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games," where he provides real insight into his career—without any mugshots involved.
Next Steps:
To ensure you are getting accurate information about the Super Smash Bros. creator, you should verify his official social media presence. You can look for the "verified" badge on his YouTube channel and his official Japanese Twitter handle, @Sora_Sakurai.