The internet is still in major shock this past week after the iconic Reggie Fils-Aimé, President and CEO of Nintendo of America announced his retirement in an official statement. The beloved Reggie has been the Western Face of a Japanese company that has previously struggled to communicate with its fans on the other side of the globe.

Reggie has transformed the culture of Nintendo’s keynotes and Directs from stoic and serious Japanese executives to in his own words “taking names and making games.” The Reggienator has spearheaded Nintendo of America in its best years and record breaking sales.

Before Reggie’s long tenure in Nintendo, his storied and successful career took him from heading marketing efforts in big food joints such as Pizza Hut and Panda Express and Guinness’ breweries; as well as revamping MTV’s VH1 network image and captive audience to appeal to the younger crowd.

From the beginning of his tenure in 2003 to his retirement this 2019, Reggie has always brought Nintendo and video game fans in general a lot of joy, laughs, amusement and of course memorable memes. Let’s take a look down memory lane at Reggie’s Greatest Hits:

E3 2004 – Where the legend of the Reggienator and the Nintendo DS Began

E3 2004 marked the big coming out party for Reggie for Nintendo fans and he started it like only he could with the famous words “My name is Reggie, I’m about kicking ass, I’m about taking names, and we’re about making games.”

E3 2004 also marked the moment where Reggie introduced the Nintendo DS, which would go on to revolutionize handheld gaming and would become one of Nintendo’s most successful products of all time. And yes, Wifi was a big feature back then!

Reggie and the Late Satoru Iwata Duking it out in the Smash Mii Fighter Trailer

Who can forget the epic battle between late great Satoru Iwata and the Reggienator in the Mii Fighter reveal trailer? Nintendo pulled no punches as Reggie and Mr. Iwata went right at each other complete with silly special effects and a hundred hand slap attack that would make E. Honda blush. The trailer ended with Reggie and his Mii character literally getting blown away. Acting chops? Check. I think Reggie might have a promising acting career after his tenure at Nintendo.

E3 2004 and 2005 – Where Reggie Burns the Competition

Reggie is known for his no-frills and sometimes savage attitude and this clip from E3 2004 and 2005 is pretty much as classic Reggie as it can get. From Reggie trimming down the competition and making fun of Sony’s proprietary memory sticks, to touting the DS’s sales success over the PSP, it was as what Reggie said “That’s Sony’s issue, Not my problem.”

The “Reggienator” Fils-a-Mech introduces Nintendo at E3 2014

Considered by many as one of the most memorable Nintendo skits, Reggie goes full ham in this glorious video with the participation of popular gaming comedy channel Mega 64. Watch Reggie go all in with his performance as a robot, as himself, and even straight out disintegrating a poor Nintendo employee. Make sure to watch the whole video! It’s a total hoot.

Nintendo and Robot Chicken – “Going Reggie on these fools”

A moment no one expected at all, Nintendo teamed up with Adult Swim’s Robot Chicken as part of the E3 2014 press conference. Clay Reggie referenced Mother 3 (where is it anyway?) and went Reggie on the journalists!

Reggie’s Solemn Farewell to the Late Satoru Iwata

It’s not all fun and games throughout Reggie’s career at Nintendo. Beloved President and CEO of Nintendo Satoru Iwata had passed away earlier in 2015 and Reggie delivered a very heart-wrenching farewell to his beloved friend and president at Game Awards 2015. It was truly a fitting tribute that only Reggie’s genuine words could deliver – not only to colleagues and other game developers, but also to remind everyone why Nintendo exists in the first place.

“My Body is Ready” – E3 2007

Saving the best for last, we come to what is probably the most iconic Reggie moment spawning hundreds of memes and several Youtube remixes – Reggie’s “My body is ready” quote. Now an iconic part of gaming meme culture and discussion boards, Miyamoto’s Wii Fit balance board demo set the stage for the most Reggie of all Reggie moments. And he didn’t disappoint.

The Fils-Aimé Legacy

Perhaps the greatest legacy of Reggie’s 14-15 year tenure at Nintendo is how he has become as big as Mario, Link and the other Nintendo characters in video game culture. Just by being himself – because of his passion, confidence, eloquence and by being a good sport, he has become larger than life and has become more than just the President and CEO of Nintendo of America. The mere mention of the word “Reggie” on the internet has video game fans associating it with Nintendo games or “My body is ready” or the endless cries for Mother 3.

His memorable and meme-able quotes and antics have certainly helped his legend in the video game world, and whenever a big game gets announced, you’ll undoubtedly see someone type about how his/her body has been ready for this.

While everyone is still in shock about his retirement, Reggie deserves an epic send off and a well deserved retirement. The Mushroom Kingdom lies in good hands today largely in part because of Reggie Fils-Aimé’s work.

Article by Franz Francisco Chan