The public face for Hudson in Japan for the past 26 years has been Toshiyuki Takahashi, or more famously Takahashi Meijin. Takahashi revealed today that he will be leaving Hudson on May 31.

Takahashi made the announcement at his blog today, his 52nd birthday. He did not give a reason for his departure. Nor did he indicate where he'd be going next, only saying that he'd continue to support the game industry as a whole.

Takahashi first joined Hudson on August 21, 1982. He made his first appearance as a Hudson spokesperson at at manga festival in March of 1985. His first appearance under the name Takahashi Meijin came at an event on May 3, 1985.

He became famous in the late 80s for his 16 shots per second trigger finger, a technique that served as the theme for toys and even in-game moves. Outside of Japan, he became known as "Master Higgins," the English name for New Adventure Island's main character which was based off him.

Master Higgins, known in Japan as Takahashi Meijin.