Which Namco president originally wanted all four Pac-Man ghosts to be red?

Masaya Nakamura, Namco’s president, originally wanted all four Pac-Man ghosts to be red. Toru Iwatani and his team instead argued for distinct bright colors, a decision that helped make the ghosts visually recognizable and gave each one a memorable identity.

The final arcade game used four colors: Blinky was red, Pinky was pink, Inky was cyan, and Clyde was orange. Their differences were not merely decorative. Each ghost received a distinct pursuit strategy, preventing the game from becoming either monotonous or impossibly difficult. Blinky directly chases Pac-Man, while Pinky and Inky attempt to anticipate his movement, and Clyde alternates between pursuit and retreat.

Nakamura’s proposed all-red design reflects the early stage of Pac-Man’s development, before the enemy behavior and character presentation were fully settled. Iwatani’s colorful approach also supported the game’s broader goal of making an arcade experience appealing beyond the traditionally masculine themes common in games of that era. The frequently confused answers are designers and artists associated with Pac-Man, but the president who made the original color request was Nakamura.