Kazumi Totaka
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese video game composer and voice actor
who composed many major Nintendo
games, including Mario Paint
and Animal Crossing
. He occasionally also does voice acting for Nintendo games, including Yoshi
from the Mario
and Yoshi series. He is also one of the various composers who worked on the title Super Smash Bros. Brawl
and directed the development of Wii Music
.
is named Totakeke (とたけけ) in the Japanese version. This name could be derived from how Totaka's name is said in Japanese (the last name coming first), Totaka K. Totakeke is said to be an animal version caricature of Totaka.
At the Mario & Zelda Big Band Live
concert, some fans shouted "Totakeke" while the host grabbed a guitar and gave it to Totaka. Totaka then sat down on a chair like K.K. Slider while Shigeru Miyamoto
held a picture of K.K. Slider next to Totaka.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
features K.K. Slider singing at the Smashville stage on Saturdays after 8:00 PM, just as he does in the Animal Crossing
games.
, which led many people to refer to it as the "Mario Paint song", and was thought to be the earliest instance of the song. It was later discovered in the Game Boy game X
(released only in Japan), which predates Mario Paint by months. It has also since been discovered in many other games including Animal Crossing
, Link's Awakening
, Yoshi Touch & Go
, Virtual Boy Wario Land
, Luigi's Mansion
, and several others. People are still actively seeking the song in the few games Totaka has worked on where it has yet to be discovered.
, Wii Sports
, Wii Channels
, Super Smash Bros. Brawl
, and Wii Music
.
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
who composed many major Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
games, including Mario Paint
Mario Paint
Mario Paint is a video game created by Nintendo for use with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and was released along with the SNES Mouse peripheral device...
and Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing
The Animal Crossing games have garnered positive response. The first three games are among the best-selling for their respective consoles. Animal Crossing has sold 2.321 million copies; Wild World 10.79 million; and City Folk 3.38 million...
. He occasionally also does voice acting for Nintendo games, including Yoshi
Yoshi
, is a fictional dragon-like character who appears in video games published by Nintendo. His debut was in Super Mario World on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as Mario and Luigi's sidekick , and he later established his own series with several platform and puzzle games, including Super...
from the Mario
Mario (series)
The video game series, alternatively called the series or simply the series, is a series of highly popular and critically acclaimed video games by Nintendo, featuring Nintendo's mascot Mario and, in many games, his brother Luigi. Gameplay in the series often centers around jumping on and...
and Yoshi series. He is also one of the various composers who worked on the title Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
and directed the development of Wii Music
Wii Music
is a free form music game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released in Japan and North America in October 2008, and in Europe and Australia in the following month...
.
K.K. Slider
The character K.K. Slider in Animal CrossingAnimal Crossing
The Animal Crossing games have garnered positive response. The first three games are among the best-selling for their respective consoles. Animal Crossing has sold 2.321 million copies; Wild World 10.79 million; and City Folk 3.38 million...
is named Totakeke (とたけけ) in the Japanese version. This name could be derived from how Totaka's name is said in Japanese (the last name coming first), Totaka K. Totakeke is said to be an animal version caricature of Totaka.
At the Mario & Zelda Big Band Live
Mario & Zelda Big Band Live
Mario & Zelda Big Band Live is a recording of a live big band performance of songs based on the Mario and The Legend of Zelda game series. The performance was at Nihon Seinenkan Hall on September 14, 2003...
concert, some fans shouted "Totakeke" while the host grabbed a guitar and gave it to Totaka. Totaka then sat down on a chair like K.K. Slider while Shigeru Miyamoto
Shigeru Miyamoto
is a Japanese video game designer and producer. Miyamoto was born and raised in Kyoto Prefecture; the natural surroundings of Kyoto inspired much of Miyamoto's later work....
held a picture of K.K. Slider next to Totaka.
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
features K.K. Slider singing at the Smashville stage on Saturdays after 8:00 PM, just as he does in the Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing (series)
The Animal Crossing games have garnered positive response. The first three games are among the best-selling for their respective consoles. Animal Crossing has sold 2.321 million copies; Wild World 10.79 million; and City Folk 3.38 million...
games.
Totaka's Song
"Kazumi Totaka's Song" is a short, 19 note tune hidden in almost every game he has worked on as a composer. It was first discovered on the title screen Mario PaintMario Paint
Mario Paint is a video game created by Nintendo for use with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and was released along with the SNES Mouse peripheral device...
, which led many people to refer to it as the "Mario Paint song", and was thought to be the earliest instance of the song. It was later discovered in the Game Boy game X
X (Game Boy game)
, is an early three-dimensional first-person shooter-type video game software released for the Game Boy only in Japan on May 29, 1992. The game was published by Nintendo and was developed by Argonaut Software .X was followed by an internationally released DSiWare exclusive sequel,...
(released only in Japan), which predates Mario Paint by months. It has also since been discovered in many other games including Animal Crossing
Animal Crossing
The Animal Crossing games have garnered positive response. The first three games are among the best-selling for their respective consoles. Animal Crossing has sold 2.321 million copies; Wild World 10.79 million; and City Folk 3.38 million...
, Link's Awakening
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening
The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, known as in Japan, is a 1993 action-adventure video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy...
, Yoshi Touch & Go
Yoshi Touch & Go
Yoshi Touch & Go, known in Japan as , is a video game that was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It debuted in Japan on January 27, 2005, in North America on March 14, 2005, and in Europe on May 6, 2005. As of August 2007, the game sold 197,337 copies in Japan. Yoshi Touch &...
, Virtual Boy Wario Land
Virtual Boy Wario Land
Virtual Boy Wario Land, known in Japan as , was released by Nintendo for its ill-fated Virtual Boy system in 1995. It stars Wario in a platforming adventure quite similar to most of his other starring roles....
, Luigi's Mansion
Luigi's Mansion
Luigi's Mansion, known as in Japan, is an action-adventure game published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in Europe on May 3, 2002. The game was a launch title for the GameCube...
, and several others. People are still actively seeking the song in the few games Totaka has worked on where it has yet to be discovered.
Confirmed appearances
The song has been found in the following games:- Animal Forest (Japan) and Animal CrossingAnimal CrossingThe Animal Crossing games have garnered positive response. The first three games are among the best-selling for their respective consoles. Animal Crossing has sold 2.321 million copies; Wild World 10.79 million; and City Folk 3.38 million...
(World) - Animal Crossing: City Folk
- Animal Crossing e-Reader cards (#P15, "Boy," "Who's Dunnit?")
- Animal Crossing: Wild WorldAnimal Crossing: Wild Worldis a 2005 social simulation video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS handheld game console, and is the second game in the Animal Crossing series....
- Kaeru no Tame ni Kane wa NaruKaeru No Tame Ni Kane Wa Naruis an action role-playing video game developed by "Team Shikamaru" of Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division, in cooperation with the external company Intelligent Systems. It was published by Nintendo for the Game Boy and released in Japan on September 4, 1992. The title is a play on Ernest...
- The Legend of Zelda: Link's AwakeningThe Legend of Zelda: Link's AwakeningThe Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, known as in Japan, is a 1993 action-adventure video game developed by Nintendo Entertainment Analysis and Development and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy...
and the DX version - Luigi's MansionLuigi's MansionLuigi's Mansion, known as in Japan, is an action-adventure game published by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Japan on September 14, 2001, in North America on November 18, 2001, and in Europe on May 3, 2002. The game was a launch title for the GameCube...
- Mario Artist: Talent StudioMario ArtistMario Artist is a set of programs that was partnered for sale with the Nintendo 64DD for its exclusive release in Japan. It was developed by Nintendo EAD.-Paint Studio:...
- Mario PaintMario PaintMario Paint is a video game created by Nintendo for use with the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, and was released along with the SNES Mouse peripheral device...
- Pikmin 2Pikmin 2is a real-time strategy video game developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo GameCube. It was released in Japan on April 29, 2004, in North America on August 30, 2004, in Europe on October 8, 2004, and in Australia on November 4, 2004....
- Super Mario Land 2: 6 Golden CoinsSuper Mario Land 2: 6 Golden Coinsis a platforming video game developed and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1992, in North America on November 2, 1992, and in Europe on January 28, 1993...
- Virtual Boy Wario LandVirtual Boy Wario LandVirtual Boy Wario Land, known in Japan as , was released by Nintendo for its ill-fated Virtual Boy system in 1995. It stars Wario in a platforming adventure quite similar to most of his other starring roles....
- X
- X-ScapeX-ScapeX-Scape, known in Japan as and in PAL regions as 3D Space Tank, is a first-person combat simulation game developed by Q-Games and Nintendo released on the Nintendo DSi's DSiWare download service. It is a sequel to the Japan-exclusive Game Boy title, X.-Gameplay:Players control a commander who has...
- Yoshi's StoryYoshi's Storyis a side-scrolling platform game, published and developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo 64 entertainment system. It is the sequel to the Super Nintendo game Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island. It was released on December 21, 1997 in Japan, March 1, 1998 in North America and April 9, 1998 in Europe...
- Yoshi Touch & GoYoshi Touch & GoYoshi Touch & Go, known in Japan as , is a video game that was developed and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It debuted in Japan on January 27, 2005, in North America on March 14, 2005, and in Europe on May 6, 2005. As of August 2007, the game sold 197,337 copies in Japan. Yoshi Touch &...
Other games
Kazumi Totaka has worked on several other games and applications in which the song has not been found yet, including Wave Race 64Wave Race 64
is a racing game for the Nintendo 64 that was released on September 27, 1996 in Japan and on November 5, 1996 in North America. In Wave Race 64 the player races on jet skis in many different weather conditions, on a variety of different courses. The game was sponsored by the Kawasaki Heavy...
, Wii Sports
Wii Sports
is a sports game developed and published by Nintendo as a launch title for the Wii video game console , and part of the Touch! Generations. The game was first released in North America along with the Wii on November 19, 2006, and was released in Japan, Australia, and Europe the following month...
, Wii Channels
Wii Channels
The is the top-level menu interface of the Wii game console. It has four pages, each with a 4:3 grid, and each displaying the current time and date. Available applications, known as "channels", are displayed and can be navigated using the pointer capability of the Wii Remote...
, Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl
Super Smash Bros. Brawl, known in Japan as , often abbreviated as SSBB or simply as Brawl, is the third installment in the Super Smash Bros. series of crossover fighting games, developed by an ad hoc development team consisting of Sora, Game Arts and staff from other developers, and published by...
, and Wii Music
Wii Music
is a free form music game developed and published by Nintendo for the Wii video game console. The game was released in Japan and North America in October 2008, and in Europe and Australia in the following month...
.