“Lost Worlds” (ロストワールド / Forgotten Worlds) Original release Japanese arcade display poster, 1988 — ultra rare, artwork by Akira “Akiman” Yasuda (B1 approx. 103 × 72.8 cm)

Original release Japanese arcade display poster, 1988 — a holy grail B1 featuring Akira “Akiman” Yasuda’s extraordinary artwork for the first game released on Capcom’s CP System.

An original Japanese B1 arcade promotional poster for Lost Worlds, internationally known as Forgotten Worlds. Created for the game’s original Japanese release in 1988, this spectacular design belongs to a pivotal moment in Capcom’s history: the introduction of the CP System, subsequently known as CPS-1, which would underpin some of the company’s most celebrated arcade games.

Featuring artwork by Akira “Akiman” Yasuda, the poster combines monumental figures, elaborate mechanical detail and an extraordinary contrast of blue, red, orange and black. Extremely difficult to find in its original B1 format, it offers the scale needed to appreciate the full force of the illustration. For collectors of early Capcom material and Japanese game illustration, this is a holy grail with exceptional display presence.

Details

• Game: Lost Worlds

• Original Japanese title: ロストワールド — Lost Worlds

• International title: Forgotten Worlds

• Year: 1988

• Country: Japan

• Developer and publisher: Capcom

• Artwork: Akira “Akiman” Yasuda

• Original arcade hardware: Capcom CP System / CPS-1

• Historical significance: The first game released for the CP System

• Genre: Scrolling shoot ’em up

• Players: One or two, with simultaneous cooperative play

• Intended use: Promotional display in Japanese arcades and game centres

• Format: Japanese B1, portrait, single-sided

• Dimensions: Approximately 72.8 × 103 cm / 728 × 1030 mm

• Condition: Excellent overall presentation, with small corner pinholes and minor handling wear; further details below

Context: Capcom and the beginning of the CPS-1 era

The introduction of Capcom’s 16-bit CP System in 1988 marked an important stage in the company’s development. Lost Worlds was its inaugural game, giving the development team an opportunity to demonstrate the new hardware through ambitious graphics, varied environments and an unusually distinctive control system.

The project brought together Akiman and Akira Nishitani, working under Yoshiki Okamoto. Their collaboration would continue through Final Fight and Street Fighter II, linking Lost Worlds to a particularly significant period in Capcom’s creative history.

Its visual ambition is evident throughout the game: heavily armed flying warriors encounter ruined landscapes, mythological enemies and enormous bosses. The poster translates that mixture of science fiction and fantasy into a single image, announcing the game through character, colour and sheer scale.

As an original promotional object from the beginning of the CP System era, this B1 has significance beyond the title itself.

Akira “Akiman” Yasuda: an artist who helped define Capcom

Akira Yasuda, known as Akiman, is one of the central creative figures associated with Capcom’s arcade heritage. His work encompasses illustration, character design, pixel graphics and game planning, with major contributions to Final Fight and Street Fighter II.

His involvement in Lost Worlds extended across the development process, including planning, graphics and promotional artwork. The illustration therefore comes from an artist directly involved in shaping the game and its visual identity.

The painting’s strength lies in the balance between exaggeration and precision. The warriors have enormous shoulders, powerful limbs and imposing weapons, yet the image is full of carefully observed surfaces: polished armour, weathered metal, camouflage fabric, flexible tubing and sharp reflections.

At B1 scale, these details become especially rewarding. The reproduction preserves the painterly character of the artwork while giving the figures a commanding physical presence.

The game this poster represents

A distinctive shooter at a formative moment in arcade history

Lost Worlds follows two unnamed warriors through a devastated world as they confront the forces of Bios. Its combination of futuristic weaponry, ancient imagery and extravagant enemies gives it a particularly memorable identity within Capcom’s arcade catalogue.

The original arcade controls were equally distinctive. A specialised rolling switch allowed players to turn their firing direction independently of their movement, supporting combat against enemies approaching from different angles. Cooperative play brought the two warriors together on screen, a relationship immediately communicated by their contrasting blue and red appearance in the poster.

Defeated enemies yielded Zenny, which could be spent on equipment and upgrades in shops encountered during play. This added decisions about weapons and resources to the action.

The game achieved a prominent contemporary chart position, placing second in Game Machine’s table-video chart in its 1 September 1988 issue. Subsequent home adaptations and later inclusion in Capcom Arcade Stadium carried it to further generations of players under the Forgotten Worlds name.

This poster preserves the original Japanese arcade branding, LOST WORLDS, prominently integrated into the artwork.

The poster

Two warriors, Egyptian motifs and a luminous orange world

The composition is immediately arresting. A blond warrior in blue armour crouches across the foreground, while his red-armoured companion towers behind him. Their oversized firearms create strong diagonals, carrying the eye through the image and reinforcing its sense of energy.

A glowing orange-gold sphere fills the background, setting the figures against a broad black field. The cold blues of the foreground armour contrast with the intensely warm reds and oranges behind, giving the illustration remarkable depth.

The title is an integral part of the design. LOST WORLDS appears in monumental, cracked lettering, with Egyptian mask-like profiles forming its outer ends. A mechanical device with a conspicuous red lens, projecting components and trailing cables occupies the centre of the logo.

Below, the illustration becomes increasingly intricate, with metallic housings, hoses and machinery surrounding the foreground figure. The large format gives these details room to be appreciated without weakening the impact of the central characters.

Key visual elements, as seen in the artwork:

• Two imposing warriors in contrasting blue and red armour.

• Dark sunglasses and strongly modelled faces.

• Oversized futuristic firearms crossing the composition.

• A luminous orange-gold sphere against a deep black background.

• Monumental title lettering incorporating Egyptian motifs and a mechanical eye.

• Dense mechanical detail and the red-orange CAPCOM wordmark at the foot.

The bright yellow slogan rises diagonally across the figures:

今日こそ息の根を止めてやるぜ!!
“Today’s the day I finish you off!!”

Its confrontational tone perfectly complements the exaggerated action of the illustration.

At approximately 103 cm high, the poster has tremendous presence. The B1 sheet provides roughly twice the surface area of a standard Japanese B2, allowing the artwork’s fine detail and powerful colour relationships to register fully.

Rarity and survival

An exceptionally elusive original arcade B1

This is an ultra rare original B1 arcade display poster, produced to promote Lost Worlds during its initial Japanese release.

Its appeal brings together several important collecting interests: early Capcom history, the debut of the CP System, Akiman’s illustration and the original Japanese title design. The B1 format presents these elements with an impact that is difficult to convey through smaller reproductions.

Material created for arcade display was intended to attract attention during a game’s commercial life. Handling, installation and storage all posed challenges for large paper sheets, particularly designs with extensive dark areas where small scuffs and creases can be readily visible.

This example retains a particularly strong overall image, with vivid colour and an exceptionally effective presentation of the principal artwork. For a collection devoted to Japanese gaming, illustration or arcade culture, it would make a compelling centrepiece.

Condition

Excellent overall presentation, with minor signs of display and handling

The poster presents in excellent overall condition, with exceptionally vivid artwork and strong contrast across the blue armour, red figure, orange background and black surrounding field.

The photographs show small pinholes or punctures near the corners, together with light surface scuffing, shallow handling creases and minor edge wear. These are most apparent on close inspection of the darker areas.

There are also some light marks to the verso, including a small spot visible in the reverse photograph. The principal illustrated image remains beautifully presented, and the colours give the poster considerable visual impact.

Condition includes:

• Exceptionally vivid colour and strong overall display presence.

• Small pinholes or punctures near the corners.

• Light surface scuffing and shallow handling creases.

• Minor edge wear.

• Some marks to the verso, as shown in the photographs.

Please refer to all photographs, including the detailed close-ups and reverse image, as part of the condition description.

Once framed, this poster will display exceptionally well. An extraordinary piece of early Capcom promotional art, combining Akiman’s powerful illustration with the scale and rarity of an original Japanese B1.