Nathan Chen’s Rival Yuzuru Hanyu Reveals His Passion for Popular Nintendo Games

Yuzuru Hanyu is one of the greatest figure skaters in the history of the sport. The Japanese champion has seen phenomenal success in his career, having the reputable title of two-time defending champion in Olympic men’s figure skating. But that’s not all, as the athlete is also a three-time world champion, and a five-time national champion. And when he can make time from achieving more brain-numbing feats outdoors, he likes to treat his internal Nintendo fanboy.

In a recent interview, Hanyu gave eager fans a peek into his taste in video games, and his favorite genre would even please die-hard Nintendo fans.

Yuzuru Hanyu name-drops a prominent Nintendo title

Hanyu unfortunately suffered an injury in November last year, knocking him out of the race for the Grand Prix figure skating events in the fall season. However, the athlete has been spending his time doing the things he loves most. These include gorging on chocolates, eating cup noodles, and playing the best-selling Nintendo title Animal Crossing.

Significantly, Animal Crossing: New Horizons officially became the best-selling title in Japan a few weeks back. The latest iteration of the Animal Crossing franchise has sold 10 million copies in Japan alone.

READ MORE- What Makes Animal Crossing: New Horizons So Popular?

However, for many fans, the biggest surprise of the interview was when Yuzuru mentioned a little known title called Lufia II. Developed by Neverland, Lufia was an RPG title that saw its release back in 1995.

For a 16-bit title, the game offered one of the most masterful storylines ever committed to a cartridge. Sporting an amazing turn-based fighting mechanic, the game offered a lot of variety with its combat. Furthermore, the game showed off a beautiful soundtrack, making Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals a complete package.

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Being the fan of such an outstanding SNES title, it is no wonder that Hanyu has quickly garnered the respect of the community. Considering his age, he wasn’t part of the game’s initial demographic. To still have found the game despite that speaks to the Japanese figure skating champion’s impeccable taste.

Lufia II is one of the best RPGs of its time. It’s humorous yet engaging story is a must play for all fans of the genre.