What led me to game music? Talk about the music of The Tower Of Druaga, Gradius, Space Harrier.

[@EccoMixes]

Wow its so inspiring hearing you talk English so fluently, i'm going to use that inspiration to get better at speaking Japanese.

[@jjbb84x]

I was thinking the exact same thing and then I found this comment! Lol!

[@NissanMarchK11]

His accent is perfect. Not overacted, no japanese accent at all, just a perfectly articulated and fluid English prononciation.

[@thegingabishouen]

@@NissanMarchK11 he definitely has an accent, but it's his cadence and timing that makes him sound so good. I did a lot of Japanese studies in college, and all my professors would stop on words that they didn't need to, or otherwise have different timing. Yuzo-san here speaks like an English speaker would, just with an accent. Hope that makes sense.

[@birthdefectthehedgehog3461]

If only it was that simple 😣

[@kyarimaresuki]

My husband told me about this channel and immediately went to subscribe, though thinking that I wouldn't be able to understand much. I had a big surprise! 😅

[@wojiaobill]

Mr. Koshiro I'm impressed by your English! Nice to hear the story of how you got inspired, thanks for sharing.

[@ricardolima9411]

In 2013 there was this clandestine party on the beach in Rio de Janeiro - Brazil. It was about 3 am, the foreigner DJ wanted to make his grand finale so he put Streets of Rage soundtrack, in hopes that people would leave afterwards. Poor DJ, that's where the party started. He didn't knew the Sega Genesis is still officially manufactured in Brazil and that S.O.R Super Mix soundtrack is arguably our National Anthem. Easily my best memory on the beach.

[@h0laPlaneta]

Hahaha this is an amazing story. That DJ needed some history classes. But seriously, somebody should do a documentary about videogames in latin america for the last 40 years.

[@ricardolima9411]

@@h0laPlaneta Wholeheartedly agree, just so you know, as of 2019 the Sega Genesis and Master System sales in Brazil rival those of the PS4 and XBOX One.

[@Gencoil]

@@ricardolima9411 That's just mindblowing.

[@Vellik]

Yuzo speaking English is the greatest gift ever. I'm not really a fan of music in general, it doesn't really do anything for me but Yuzo's work really is fantastic; especially Streets of Rage. All hail Lord Yuzo the master of video game music.

[@TachyBunker]

Gradius and Space Harrier have so much cool music!! It's nice to know i have the same inspirations as one of my main inspirations, Yuzo Koshiro haha.

[@Jadty]

I can't believe I'm listening to the man himself, the legend, speaking such good English.

[@Yuzoboy]

I love hearing your stories about your journey in video game music. Great video and I hope to see more. Everyone has a lot of questions and maybe you can answer more in video form. Yuzo Koshiro forever!

[@Ashton374]

Yuzoboy, didn’t expect to see you here

[@HappyConsoleGamer]

Great video Yuzo! love the memories!

[@Creative_Welshman]

Found You

[@HammyHavoc]

Hearing Streets of Rage's soundtrack at 4 years old is what led me to start composing. Fast forward a couple decades and I'm making music for video games. Thank you for the music, Yuzo! :- )

[@y0sh1rulez]

Is there a Hall of Fame for gaming? Because Yuzo Koshiro deserves to be in there. He's doing his videos in English to reciprocate the respect and appreciation he gets worldwide. Thank you for sharing your inspirations!

[@GiordanDiodato]

I think there is? I'd look that up

[@jeanlundi2141]

I'm not the type of guy to usually single out characters in the videogame industry (even though I'm a fan of many), but you are a bit of a hero to me Yuzo. I think your music in SoR was like a color in the palette of my imagination, that I couldn't have done without. Thank you so much for all the inspiration! Why am I not surprised you are a fellow prog fan... :) All the best to you!

[@aliaswizard604]

Dude you really are a part of my childhood. So cool to hear from the guy who made the music for the fun times we had as kids.

[@GameGalaxyshow]

Yuzo Koshiro- one of the absolute best game composers of all time! Awesome to hear your inspirations!

[@falayyou]

Shout out to Miki Higashino for her amazing work on Genso Suikoden series!!

[@starwarsunfiltered7848]

2:37 -- You mention your love of Progressive Rock. What prog-rock bands do you enjoy, Mr. Koshiro? Interestingly enough, your soundtracks for The Revenge if Shinobi and Streets of Rage were very influential on my tastes at 11-12 years old, and it was only a few years later (at ages 14-18) that I discovered the works of Rush, Yes, Asia, and ELP, who all became among my favorite groups. Maybe your music was the connection? Thank you for sharing these videos. 🙂

[@borawserboxer]

Not only are you a legend, but also a champ for being super forthcoming and genuine. A right on dude.

[@brian831995bm]

One of first game that I have played as a child was Streets of Rage II on Mega Drive and believe me, I spent a lot more time listening and dancing to this music by going to the options mode than playing them. This game has changed my perception in music forever. Thank you Koshiro-san for sharing your inspirations as video games music composer. Your works is a great art, you're the master on the subject ! Greetings from France.

[@seanconnolly4069]

I absolutely love this video and wish there was a thousand more like it. You were one of the reasons I started playing the keys when I was a child. I would leave my genesis on for hours just listening to your tunes.

[@Juggalo972]

Wow I didn't know you spoke English! I loved your music that you did for Actraiser, been a fan since that day and honestly I believe it's your best work. Even the original symphonic suite that's now out-of-print is simply amazing. I visited Japan right before the pandemic hit looking for some of your music in Akihabara but....well, my Japanese is pretty limited but I'm learning! "Nihongo wakarimasen" lol Keep up the great work, kyodai!

[@geoffsmith8172]

Wow! I wasn't prepared for how good your English is (since I've never seen you speak any in other interviews I've seen). And thank you so much for this video! It's incredible. I hope you make more. Words directly from great creators are so rare and so awesome.

[@Mentski]

Hiro's music was the first arcade music I ever noticed to utilize middle 8s/bridges. Space Harrier, Enduro Racer, and Outrun notably. You wanted to get further into the game to hear further into the music.

[@rocapadilla]

Thanks Mr. Koshiro, you inspired me to compose music with PC when I was a teenager back in the 90s

[@DCeeMusik]

Thanks so much for this information! I've been studying these sound chips and learning more using FM synthesis and wavetables. This explained in English is a plus!

[@chinossynthesizer705]

Is their any good books to explain this I have a esq-80 wavetable synth I don't fully understand and how how make good sounds and stuff I like fm synthesis as well I just wanna read books explaining this stuff and how to use it

[@orangelimesky]

Streets of rage 1 & 2 were my main games from ages 5-15 during school holidays... seeing the composer speaking very fluent English when those games were just my favorite japanese beat-em-ups back in the 90's...something so warm and nostalgic. Like we grew up with him. Good to see you Mr Koshiro. Very nice to see you've kept up with the times along with the rest of us that grew up listening to your awesome synth music.

[@ScottyRichMusic]

My first exposure to Yuzo Koshiro's work was the Master System port of Sonic 1. You just straight up rewrote Labyrinth and Scrap Brain to be better instead of rearranging it for 8bit. Plus Jungle and Bridge zone are straight up awesome. I've heard some of your other soundtracks like Etrian Odyssey series which is just... Beautiful. Really getting the best quality out of those FM sounds. I don't know anything about the game, but really feel like playing it just to hear the music in action!

[@thegingabishouen]

You have absolute perfect speaking form! Everyone has an accent, but you "speak* natively, and it sounds great! I had no idea one of the greatest composers of our time was bilingual! Sugoi!

[@dorkasaurus_rex]

Wow your English is so good! Thank you for your pioneering work in Streets of Rage and Kid Icarus: Uprising, not to mention Etrian Odyssey which you do not get enough credit for!

[@Vladi_AK47]

Yuzo, thank you so much for your work you did with SoR(Bare Knuckle). And thank you for making menu theme for SoR 4. I’m a long time fan of yours, it’s an honor to be able to write to you directly. Boss battles and level music is still the best. Much love from Miami ❤️

[@andygillion]

Thanks for this video Yuzo. Very cool to hear you speak English and to find out more about your inspirations as a composer!

[@pxldj]

Keep making videos like this one, I’m living making music for games because of you thank you so much!

[@AxelStone]

Nice video! Creating sounds within the limits of soundchips requires another level of creativity technical know-how. Thanks for your amazing works troughout the years! 👍🏼♥️

[@Alianger]

I first experienced Space Harrier, Outrun and After Burner on the Master System's more limited PSG sound chip as a kid, but the quality of the compositions shone through anyway. Nice video!

[@rushifellpainting4631]

Your English is so fluid and natural

[@Michael_Geyre]

Hi mr Koshiro, first of all, let me introduce myself, I am the composer/arranger who've made music for lizardcube wonderboy the dragon's trap remake Thanks for your music, you made an amazing job as composer and sound designer I'm also passionate by video games sound chips, as well as I am about synthesizers (I see both Mks racks behind you, I am a lucky owner of Jupiter 8, Cs80, synclavier, and many other marvelous instruments...) Wsg was a fantastic sound chip Thanks for your video, please, don't hesitate to share more with all of us All the best ...

[@RazorEdge2006]

I didn't realize Yuzo was so fluent in English!

[@haseo1117]

Very interessting to hear you directly. I can't wait to hear your work on the next Etrian Odyssey !

[@generalfishcake]

Yuzo, your passion for music, and the music itself, set you apart from many other artists. So brave, and so inspired. Also, I didn't expect you to be so fluent. PS. Happy new year!

[@Mikehero69_]

Thank you for sharing Koshiro-san, It's not every day we can hear directly from a Japanese gaming legend, especially in English!

[@Plotpurotto]

Just came here since I saw your name that you helped with Remix of Psycho solider Athena theme for smash ultimate. *It’s solid work and I love every bits of it, best of luck for your future*

[@mouthghost6529]

Holy shit your english is amazing. Please talk more about the amazing battle and labyrinth themes from EO!!

[@yuzokoshiro2631]

Thanks! But it's going to be a long way because there is still about 20 years worth of the story until I'm going to talk about the EO kind of things... Stay tuned ;)

[@mouthghost6529]

@@yuzokoshiro2631 Well, i'm looking forward to it, the music in those games has influenced the way I compose my own material hugely

[@philmuller-geib3361]

Yuzo is one of my sources of music inspiration

[@tonifaisal6842]

I am crying... definitely... This is really an honour... 20 years ago, i played Bare Knuckle 3 a.k.a. Streets of Rage 3 a lot, I played it in a video game rent station... i got the japanese version.... I really enjoyed all the music, my gosh... that time, i had an impossible dream if i could play those great music at home... back then, no internet yet... so, it was really hard to get any info regarding songs or any info about the game, but finally i can have the songs on my phone in 2010... =) I always love SOR or BK... Axel Stone will be always my favorite character after Shiva...

[@Trid3nt861]

Yuzo. The first time I heard your wonderful music was back in the late 80's with Revenge of Shinobi and the 90's with Bare Knuckle/Streets of Rage. Your music is timeless and thank you for making my childhood good. Keep being awesome Yuzo.

[@IKARIking67]

@Yuzo Koshiro I've been a fan of your compositions ever since SOR1. I produce music now, and had no idea about the Korg Kamata plugin. Looks cool! Thank you very much!

[@Arc_ride]

Nothing I can say is more than people already said but I could listen to you talking about your memories with game music for hours. Your English is very good! Thank you very much for this video Mr. Koshiro, I'll be here next time for sure!

[@MegaDriveProfile]

Koshiro-san your English is good! Thank you for your contributions to game music and FM programming, especially for Mega Drive! Great video!

[@extremesegaa9239]

I dont know how you made such an amazing intro with sor but damn you nailed it just the way i like it, get the feels everytime i hear it, i listen to it in my car daily.

[@refutable2026]

Your music has made my mother my uncles my sister my friends and my wife’s video game experiences amazing and memorable. When I hear SEGA I don’t think of sonic I think of Yuzo Koshiro and streets of rage THANK YOU

[@noharakun]

man those were the classic games, thanks for sharing these moments and for making such great music

[@Jamesfo8rf]

Mr Koshiro, thank you for your great music which filled my childhood😊. ( wow your English is so good)

[@strafefox]

Awesome video! Looking forward to more of your insights and stories!

[@NissanMarchK11]

Love your videos man, thank you !

[@strafefox]

@@NissanMarchK11 Thanks! That's great to hear!

[@zr0cool]

I love to hear more about the technical side of video game music! Your English is outstanding! Thanks for sharing a part of your history.

[@DaMarcus008]

That's for inspiration Yuzo-san. You're one of my favorite video game composers, if it wasn't for you I wouldn't been composing video game music on my channel right now.

[@RWL2012]

🤦‍♂️

[@HouseMusicNinja]

Definitely is an honor growing up with your music as well as seeing how great your English is. I have to say its all due to your works from Revenge of Shinobi and SOR 1~3, that my favorite genre of music is house music. It's like they say, "house music is a feeling", and your soundtracks have great life to their tunes. Thank you for everything Koshiro san!

[@videogamemusicpianoforscru7600]

Thank you for doing these interviews for us English speakers!!

[@Iceferno]

It's always fascinating learning the origins and influences of musicians. Your soundtrack to the first Streets Of Rage was what encouraged me to start composing my own music. Speaking of which, I actually got the original Bare Knuckle game in the post today. So now I have the original game, the Data Discs 12" soundtrack, and the "M6" 6-in-1 cartridge I originally played the game on. :) I recently remixed your track "Facing The Wind" from Project X Zone 2/Namco x Capcom, which I'm really proud of. You should have a listen sometime. Keep up the great work!

[@mammothplant]

I hope you know how much of an inspiration you are to me and to video game composers all around the world, Mr. Koshiro.

[@DanielNoronha86]

I am a vgm composer, and my music is greatly inspired by this guy's

[@shajamaru1421]

Let me just give my deepest appreciation to Mr.Koshiro here. Your Soundtracks for Ys, Shinobi and Actraiser shaped my own musical taste and I couldn't thank you more for it. Also I love seeing the passion and insight you clearly have for these games and their music. Great Video!

[@redsgrave2003]

This was really cool! I never thought about how arcades or consoles produced sounds before and now thanks to this, it's spurring me to investigate the development of sound technology further. I played Space Harrier and Out Run in Yakuza 0 and I remember thinking that Out Run had some really cool music.

[@Hyde209]

Very insightful look into your background and the sounds of the arcade scene back in the day. Thank you so much for sharing this with us 🙏

[@Solibrae]

I never thought I'd enjoy listening to Yuzo Koshiro gush about retro arcade soundchips and composers of that era, but there you go! It's great that modern systems have the ability to create and play much higher quality sound compared to those days, but stuff like the FM Synth music option in Etrian Odyssey V proves that the retro style can sound just as good when used properly.

[@samidekash]

Wow, thank you so much for sharing your fascinating story, Yuzo San. You are an absolute legend and loved by so many. Thanks for sharing this profound historical and technical information. I was absolutely fascinated with Konami compositions and the SCC sound chip. Gradius and Space Harrier still are my all time favourites. I found your KZbin channel only recently because some other channel mentioned it. Thanks for all your great music, keep on inspiring people. Be blessed. 💛🙏

[@HeadacheCentral]

I fell in love with game music at a very early age when playing Sonic the Hedgehog on the Master System we had at home. It was only much later that I discovered you had a hand in its music, as well as in the Streets of Rage games and even a Castlevania game on DS. Needless to say you've been very inspirational to me in my ambitions to become a game composer myself, along with many others such as Sakuraba and Uematsu, and I'm very grateful to see you trying to communicate with your English-speaking fans as well. Cheers.

[@GamayObera]

Your English accent is better than mine, Koshiro-san. Keep going! Greetings from Brazil.

[@AntonKarpuzikov]

wow! didn't know that you have a youtube channel. it's so cool to see such a legendary composer, score for streets of rage was the first game music that i loved

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

I really appreciate how great artists can end up influencing other future great artists, in some kind of vertuous cycle. Knowing that it's thanks to those talented individuals that you are here today is really heartwarming

[@rogeriorogerio1007]

It's great to hear Yuzo's story from himself, impressed by his English !

[@sylvierose2799]

Thank you for your words master Koshiro, and thank you for giving Etrian Odyssey such worderful OSTs

[@sumez4369]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts. It's amazing to hear what one of the most influential video game musicians considers his own biggest influences. This channel really needs a lot more attention!

[@disky01]

I'm just discovering your videos and they're such an excellent look into the history of, as well as the future of, game music. Thanks so much!

[@chiphopper]

英語こんなに上手なんだ！知らなかった、すごいね！Thank you for the video :) I hope you will do more like these in the future!!

[@PaulvonOberstein]

I just want to say that ever since I first played ActRaiser back in 1999 I have considered its soundtrack to be one of the best video game soundtracks ever made. I still listen to it 20 years later.

[@VonFirflirch]

This kind of video is super cool, I'll definitely be there for "next time" too :D

[@yuyukawa9104]

I grew up listening to your soundtracks, you really inspired me to try to make my own music :)

[@85futureshock]

You sir are an absolute legend. Your music made so many childhoods!

[@LinVGMPlaylists]

Being so open and casual like this is awesome to see from such a inspiring artist. You don't inspire people only with your amazing work, but also with your personality and presence. Thanks Koshiro-sensei, hope you keep enjoying making music

[@ImperatorGrausam]

It is great to hear you speak Mr. Koshiro. I'm enamored by the soundtracks you did in the 80s and 90s. I really like your work on the Ys games, Sorcerian, and of course the Streets of Rage games. If you ever think of it, I'd love to know what music you listened to that particularly inspired you in your composition. Some tracks in the games you did for Falcom for example remind me of Iron Maiden and other sorts of melodic 80s metal.

[@tonk82]

Great video. Always great to hear from a great composer directly.

[@VideoGameVlad84]

I never knew the legend himself had a KZbin channel! Will be visiting a lot more!

[@Lorens198x]

Thank you very much, my hero! Grazie mille! Ciao dall’Italia 🇮🇹 🇯🇵

[@ixsusdalder]

I absolutely love your work. In particular, your music is why Etrian Odyssey III is one of my favorite games of all time. It was really interesting to learn what inspired you to make such amazing music.

[@steveburris6834]

Thankyou Mr. Koshiro! You've changed My Life with Your beautiful soundtracks. Brought much joy to My soul since I first played the SOR series in the early 1990s. Thankyou Sir!

[@stephenwall5159]

Wow, thank you for taking us back to these classic arcades and giving us insight into how the audio was put together.

[@williamgreen9749]

Thank you for making this video Mr. Koshiro. Your music has really touched me Streets of Rage 2 especially. Having you return for Streets of Rage 4 was an absolute delight.

[@DNOplz]

Always been a fan of these kinds of videos, and to hear from the man himself is really cool! You've always been my favorite composer, so thank you for everything you've done throughout the years. Looking forward to whatever you've got in store next!

[@liquidsnake3544]

Thanks for everything yuzo

[@CGPatsFan305]

You made my childhood awesome with your music from the streets of rage franchise! Thank you !!

[@McAlby]

That was awesome. I love these videos, Koshiro-san, keep them coming, please! Thanks for sharing.

[@JTZinnful]

One of my favourite VGM composers complimenting another of my favourite VGM composers. My VGM-life is complete now.

[@misplaymay]

Yuzo Koshiro, you are a legend, thank you for sharing your insights!

[@MrGRmask]

Miki Higashino also worked on the Suikoden series' music. Suikoden 2's music was the sole reason why it remains one of my favorite PS1 games ever. Also nice video, Koshiro-san!

[@shytendeakatamanoir9740]

Hey, I just recently started Suikoden 2 ! (and it's slowly becomming one of my favourite PS1 game ever as well.)

[@edriasandika]

Thank you for this very informative video, Yuzo Koshiro-san. And listening you speak English better than I do encourage me to improve better. I was a Nintendo fanboy back then and was so jealous seeing Sega Genesis/Mega Drive's Street of Rage/Bare Knuckle with excellent BGM, and my favorite happened to be SOR3 somehow. Thank you and love from Indonesia

[@johnray527]

I absolutely loved the beginning of this where you pretend to be an interviewer. =) Mr. Koshiro, I've been playing games since 1987 - almost exactly when you began composing - but only recently have I spent more time really thinking about game music and how it's changed over time and how it has stayed with me. Sometimes I have enjoyed your work without knowing it was you or that you had composed other music I had heard before. Now that I am reflecting more and learning more, I am delighted by the career you have had. Gaming is much richer because of you.

[@AQuestionofCharacter]

Man. Namco had such SUPERIOR sound in the 80's! So good.

[@RyuHayabusa06]

Great video! I am a huge fan of your work, including Ys, The Scheme, Bare Knuckle, Actraiser, Super Adventure Island, and many others. Thanks for all the great music over the years!

[@mattf2535]

Hey Yuzo-sama, just wanted to say that your new song versions for SOR4 sound beautiful!!

[@willscp]

Yuzo Chan, we all know about all your talent creating amazing game music's, but I was wondering what's your favourite game to play and your favourite creation? You also like to PLAY the games? Thanks!

[@laspartiturasperdidas]

Thanks Koshiro, great video! I'm very interested in your work in Misty Blue. It would be fantastic if you talked about the development of this soundtrack in a video

[@taekosystem]

Thanks for a great video! While I have known you since Ys-days, I did not know the trigger for you to initiate video game music creation. But it is not a surprise that you were inspired from some arcade video games as I felt some arcade-like flavor from your works -- The Revenge of Shinobi, Streets of Rage, or even Etrian Odyssey :-)

[@DrummerDucky]

If I one day opt to dabble into music composition, it'll be at least partly because of you (Etrian Odyssey, Street of Rage, etc) and Shoji Meguro (his Digital Devil Saga soundtrack is still astounding to this day.)

[@Zeithri]

I highly recommend checking out the PC-88 Soundtrack of Sorcerian. It's fantastic. One of my favorites without a doubt. _Desert_ is beautiful.

[@DrummerDucky]

Oh man you were both right, the Sorcerian soundtrack is glorious, especially the reinterpretation by Breath of the Sea since I'm not a huge fan of the non-Nes/Snes soundchips.

[@r3nsk1]

I'd rather recommend listening to / checking out the X1turbo OPM version, which is (AFAIK) generally regarded as the definitive version. (And personally I agree there: it's more rich/lush, when you listen closely you can e.g. discover some extra instrumentation here & there.) Or perhaps the _Sorcerian Original_ (2000 Windows remake) soundtrack, which uses FM sources from both the X1turbo & PC-88VA (OPNA ver. I suppose) soundtracks. If you're a fan of Desert I highly recommend, if you haven't already, to check out the awesome slow-rock cover by 'breath of the sea' (どぜう氏 on Niconico): video id MvmzOFbGJG4 (ソーサリアン-砂漠（呪われたオアシス）) (And definitely check out his _Blue Dragon_ as well!)

[@r3nsk1]

(Sorry, had to re-post above comment...) If Koshiro-san reads this, another _burning_ question 🙂: were the PC-88 tunes you composed for Sorcerian also the final arrangements? Were you involved in the arrangements for the other (especially the X1turbo) platforms? (Perhaps you can also discuss this in a future video?) Thanks!

[@DrummerDucky]

@@r3nsk1 You should DM your question since he likely doesn't get an alarm for follow-up comments.