One of Japan’s most famous gamers tops all other performances we’ve ever seen by marching and drumming up a storm, clearing the song without looking at the screen.

If we could choose any arcade game to watch players perfect in Japan, we’d pull up a chair in front of the “Taiko no Tatsujin” (“Drum Master”) machine. It’s given us some impressive performances in the past, from hip-swinging, jumping maniacs to staid sumo wrestlers, and now there’s a new contender for king of the game, who’s making news online with two performances that are so riveting it’s hard to look away.

The first performance, filmed at a game centre in Tokyo’s Odaiba area and shared on Twitter by onlooker @kinokoboy2013, shows the drummer performing an entire song without ever once looking at the screen behind him. Since the clip was posted, it’s received tens of thousands of likes and retweets in just a matter of days.

https://twitter.com/kinokoboy2013/status/756034799823835136

Performing without looking at the screen is just one of the tricks this drummer has up his sleeve, as he was captured just days later, wowing onlookers at a game centre in Shinjuku with his ability to play the two-player version by himself, without the extra player. Not only that, he masters it at the highest level of difficulty, in “Oni” (“Demon“) mode.

With both clips generating a huge amount of interest on Twitter, commenters have identified the performer as a well-known member of the game centre community. His name is Eiketsu, otherwise known as “Akihabara no Kamisama” or “God of Akihabara” by gamers and onlookers, for his extreme talent with the arcade game. He’s been spotted playing the Taiko no Tatsujin Drum Master game at arcades around the country for a number of years now, with a large number of YouTube videos starring Eiketsu appearing online.

▼ His 2011 performance has had more than 2 million views on YouTube.

And this clip from 2014 shows him performing in Ishikawa Prefecture with his back to the screen again, this time in two-player mode with another gamer.

His latest appearances on YouTube include this one, filmed in Saitama Prefecture last month.

Next time you’re in a game centre in Japan and spot a crowd gathered around the Taiko no Tatsujin Drum Master game, be sure to take a look – you might be able to catch an exclusive performance from Eiketsu, the “God of Akihabara”!

Source: My Game News Flash
Top Image: Twitter/@kinokoboy2013