Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 Hidden Secret Has Been Uncovered After Over 20 Years

A hidden secret found in the PS2 and Gamecube versions of Activision’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 has been uncovered after over 20 years.

YouTuber VilifiedOne has brought to light a hidden secret in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 that has remained publicly unknown for 20 years. The aforementioned secret is the inclusion of a hidden character that was originally exclusive to subscribers of the Japanese magazine, Dengeki PlayStation. It is only available in the Japanese versions of the game on PS2 and GameCube.

While the availability of the hidden character (as seen above) in the PS2 version was known by some, the character also being present in the Gamecube version had remained unknown for over 20 years. Unlocking the character in either version of the Japanese release requires a custom save file to access it. In the PS2 version, the only known method of unlocking the hidden character is to obtain a save file collection disc that was distributed by Dengeki PlayStation. The content creator has gained access to one of these rare discs, and has, therefore, been able to unlock the character.

As for the secret character, his name is Sukehachi, which is a portmanteau of “Sukētobōdo”, the Japanese word for skateboard. Developer Success Corporation had ported and localized Tony Hawk Pro Skater 2 to the Game Boy Advance under the title SK8. The name Sukehachi appears to have originated from here.

The YouTuber has shared a custom save file for the Japanese Gamecube version of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 for others to try out. The file can be downloaded by following the link here. Those without access to a Japanese version of the console can alternatively run their imported copy of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 via the Dolphin emulator on PC. Detailed instructions on how to run the game via emulation can be seen in the video description.