Obayashi almost made a Godzilla film, called A Space Godzilla.
He was given his nickname in the 70s, when he was directing some
commercials with Kirk Douglas and Charles Bronson. They had difficulty
with his last name, so they shorted it to "OB."
Ôbayashi was friends with Godzilla director Ishiro Honda. Obayashi casted Honda in two of his films and after his death in 1993, Obayashi included a photograph of Honda in his film Samurai Kids in his honor.
Obayashi is well known as a "TV talent" (guest celebrity) on Japanese
talk shows, game shows, and commercials.