Yuzo Koshiro

This article needs cleanup. This article needs to be edited to conform to a higher standard of article quality. After the article has been cleaned up, you may remove this message. For help, see the How to Edit a Page article.

Yuzo Koshiro (古代祐三 Koshiro Yūzō, born December 12, 1967, in Tokyo, Japan) is one of the well-known faces of Japanese video game music. In the 1980s and 1990s, he created the melodies for productions such as the popular Mega Drive titles The Revenge of Shinobi (with his name appearing on the title screen), Bare Knuckle (Streets of Rage) and The Story of Thor, following up with the score for the Super Nintendo game ActRaiser. His latest work includes compositions for the highly acclaimed games Shenmue and Wangan Midnight Maximum Tune 2. Koshiro is also partially responsible for composing the original Ys soundtrack for the popular series of roleplaying games. Unfortunately, Koshiro does not own the rights to any of his famous Ys compositions, and has indicated in interviews that he is bitter about that fact and finds their resulting international acclaim ironic.

Yuzo Koshiro is one of the pioneers in releasing soundtracks with his own music. The live orchestral version of ActRaiser was one of the industry's first of its kind. A live performance of this music could be heard in 2004 at the second Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig, Germany and in 2005 at the first Chamber Music Game Concert in Leipzig, Germany. Yuzo Koshiro is participating on PLAY! A Video Game Symphony, a symphonic world-tour featuring video game music. His arrangement of music from the Sonic the Hedgehog series is presented in every concert all over the world. Yuzo Koshiro attended the concert on May 27, 2006, in Chicago. On August 23, 2006, Yuzo Koshiro's music from Revenge of Shinobi was performed at the fourth Symphonic Game Concert in Leipzig, Germany, in an arrangement done by himself.

Production History

Yuzo Koshiro has contributed music to the following games:

• Xanadu Scenario II - PC-88 , PC-98
• Ys - PC-88 , PC-98
• Ys II - PC-88 , PC-98
• Romancia - PC-88
• Dragon Slayer IV / Legacy of the Wizard - NES
• Dragon Slayer 5: Sorcerian - PC-88 , PC-98
• Algarna - Dharp X1
• Bosconian - Sharp X68000
• The Scheme - PC-88
• Misty Blue - PC-88
• Crack Down - Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
• The Stickman is Back - (Unreleased)
• The Super Shinobi / Revenge of Shinobi - Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
• Thrice - Sharp X68000
• Bare Knuckle / Streets of Rage - Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
• Dragon Slayer 5: Sorcerian (PC Version) (1990) — Composer
• ActRaiser (1990) — Music Composer
• Super Adventure Island - Super Nintendo Entertainment System
• Super Adventure Island 2 - Super Nintendo Entertainment System
• Sonic the Hedgehog (1991) — Re-Arranging and Original Music
• Bare Knuckle II / Streets of Rage 2 - Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
• Slapfight - Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
• Miracle Casino Paradise - Super Nintendo Entertainment System
• ActRaiser 2 (1993) — Sound Composer
• The GG Shinobi - Sega Game Gear
• The GG Shinobi II - Sega Game Gear
• Batman Returns - Sega Game Gear, Sega Master System
• Bare Knuckle III / Streets of Rage 3 - Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
• The Story of Thor / Beyond Oasis - Sega Mega Drive/Genesis
• Eye of the Beholder - Mega CD
• Zork I - Sega Saturn / PlayStation
• The Story of Thor 2 / The Legend of Oasis - Sega Saturn
• Vatlva - Sega Saturn
• Culdcept - Sega Saturn
• Shenmue II (2001) — Music Composer (Sound & Music)
• Wangan Midnight - Namco System 246, PlayStation 2
• Car Battler Joe - Game Boy Advance
• Island of Kaiju - Nintendo GameCube
• Wangan Midnight: Maximum Tune - Sega Chihiro
• Wangan Midnight: Maximum Tune 2 - Sega Chihiro
• Namco X Capcom (2005) — Composition/Arrangement (<Opening Theme> "Brave New World"), Composition/Arrangement (<Ending Theme> "Someday, Under the Moon")
• Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2 (USA) / Dancing Stage Max (PAL) / Dance Dance Revolution STR!KE (JPN) - PlayStation 2 - He provided the song "You Gotta Move It" with Julie Rugaard performing vocals.)
• Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin - Nintendo DS
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) — Music Arrangement

He has also recently produced music for the Merregnon 2 project, Ten Plants and the Street Fighter II Tribute Album.

Other Works

• Street Fighter Tribute Album (2003)

Song Credits

ActRaiser

• Opening — Music & Arrangement
• Sky Castle — Music & Arrangement
• Descent — Music & Arrangement
• Filmoa — Music & Arrangement
• Demon Beast Appears — Music & Arrangement
• Round Clear — Music & Arrangement
• Bloodpool ~ Casandra — Music & Arrangement
• Aitos ~ Temple — Music & Arrangement
• Strong Enemy — Music & Arrangement
• Pyramid ~ Marana — Music & Arrangement
• Northwall — Music & Arrangement
• World Tree — Music & Arrangement
• Satan — Music & Arrangement
• Silence — Music & Arrangement
• Birth of Humans — Music & Arrangement
• Offering — Music & Arrangement
• Peaceful World — Music & Arrangement
• Ending — Music & Arrangement

Sonic the Hedgehog

• Title — Re-Arrangement
• Stage Start — Music & Arrangement
• Green Hill — Re-Arrangement
• Power Up — Re-Arrangement
• Stage Clear — Re-Arrangement
• Stage BGM A — Music & Arrangement
• Stage BGM B — Music & Arrangement
• Stage BGM C — Music & Arrangement
• Stage BGM D — Music & Arrangement
• Stage BGM E — Music & Arrangement
• Boss BGM — Music & Arrangement
• Miss — Re-Arrangement
• Bonus Stage — Music & Arrangement
• Item — Music & Arrangement
• Staff Roll — Music & Arrangement

Street Fighter Tribute Album

• M. Bison Stage — Arranged & Remixed by

Namco X Capcom

• Original [Namco X Capcom] ~ Brave New World — Music & Arrangement
• Original [Namco X Capcom] ~ Brave New World ~Piano ver. — Music
• Original [Namco X Capcom] ~ Brave New World ~Inst. ver. — Music
• Original [Namco X Capcom] ~ Someday, Under the Moon — Music & Arrangement
• Original [Namco X Capcom] ~ Brave New World ~Long ver. — Music & Arrangement

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• Main Theme (The Legend of Zelda) — Arrangement
• Norfair — Arrangement

Trivia

His sister, Ayano Koshiro, is responsible for many of the character designs in the games for which Yuzo has composed music. One of the more popular examples is the Bare Knuckle (Streets of Rage) series on the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis. She also worked on character design of Ys and Actraiser.

External links

• Composer profile at OverClocked ReMix
• "Yuzo Koshiro Interview" Kikizo: (Oct. 14, 2005)
• "The OPCFG Interview with Yuzo Koshiro" Organization for the Preservation of Classic Forms of Gaming: Strangman, Rob (2002)
• Yuzo Koshiro DJ'ing in a Japanese Club (youtube.com video)