Masao Shiroto (白戸政男) is a Japanese video game designer, director, and planner who was active mainly during the late 1980s and 1990s. He is best known for his work with Technos Japan.
He is sometimes credited under alternative names such as M. Shiroto, Scirocco, or Shiro, which was a common practice in the Japanese game industry at the time.
Notable works
Masao Shiroto contributed to several influential titles, especially in the Kunio-kun series and related projects:
- Renegade (1987) — the prototype that led to the Kunio-kun formula in the West
- Double Dragon Arcade & Famicom visual
- Super Dodge Ball (1988)
- River City Ransom (known in Japan as Downtown Nekketsu Monogatari)
- Various Kunio-kun spin-offs (sports, action, and RPG-style entries)
- Arcade and console adaptations related to Double Dragon
- Sugoro Quest series (planning and production roles)
Style and influence
Shiroto’s work is associated with:
- Stylized, comedic character design
- Blending street fighting with sports gameplay (a hallmark of the Kunio-kun series)
- The early identity of Technos Japan’s arcade-to-console design philosophy