A composite image of five shots shows Yoshiaki Yuasa moving as if there were monsters and obstacles, at a studio in Osaka’s Chuo Ward. (Mari Endo)

You may have seen him performing in "Street Fighter" and "Resident Evil" among other video game titles that took the world by storm.

Well, yes and no, because Yoshiaki Yuasa plays his characters from behind the scenes, using motion capture technology.

Yuasa, 43, is an actor at game publisher Capcom Co. When he is being recorded in the studio, Yuasa sports a black jersey covered in white orbs, whose movement is captured on 36 infrared cameras.

The Hiroshima native has run the gamut when it comes to the characters he played--from a woman to a villain, a dinosaur and a monster.

The art of his craft lies in creating movements that will then be reflected in video games. For instance, his downward swinging of a stick was used to reproduce a character wielding a huge sword in "Monster Hunter."

The reproduced motions are checked in the studio on a large monitor nearby.

As technology used for video games advances, the actions of characters are expected to be more realistic, and motion capture actors like Yuasa, who works exclusively for Capcom, provide behind-the-scenes support for the industry through their character portrayals using their own bodies.

LONGING TO BE ACTION STAR

In the hit title "Monster Hunter: World," Yuasa recreated the movements of a monster-hunting killer, such as crossing his arms and stopping to look around. He said he used slow movements and deep breathing to produce the protagonist's imposing demeanor.

During an interview with The Asahi Shimbun, Yuasa displayed some typical motions used in games.

He dished out punches, dodged an enemy attack and kicked two meters high using a trampoline.

As Yuasa needs to repeatedly examine how his actions are being portrayed on screen to perfect them. Up to 300 takes may be needed in a single day.

When he was a child, Yuasa longed to be an action star like Jackie Chan and staged mock fights with friends along the riverside near his home.

While a student at Setsunan University, he performed part-time in a superhero action show.

After leaving school, he worked as an actor and stuntman during his 20s.

However, he found it difficult to make a name for himself as an actor and started pondering his next step.

A senior performer introduced a motion capture actor position to Yuasa, which was the catalyst for him joining Capcom in 2005.

Yuasa said he has found the job rewarding, as his acting is used to create scenes for the video games. Despite its many releases, Capcom has only two exclusive motion capture actors. This has meant that Yuasa has played numerous roles in popular titles over the years.

CREATING PERSONALITIES

The biggest difference between regular and motion capture actors is that the latter cannot use their own voices or facial expressions when performing. For this reason, Yuasa said he plays different characters by changing the "rhythm" of his movements.

For instance, he treads swiftly or slowly and stands up at once or gradually so that the personalities of different characters can be represented through such slight differences in movement.

Another difficult part of motion capture, according to Yuasa, is that actors must hide their own personalities in order to bring out those of the characters. He trains for this by imitating random passers-by in crowds on the street.

Yuasa said that closely observing foot positions, balance and other physical features is important to learning how to behave like someone else. These observations provide him with clues for playing characters in future titles, he added.

"What we do can be likened to what fishermen do: Offer ingredients as the first step in cooking," Yuasa said. "I'll continue to provide ingredients that people want."