Masato Kato
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
video game artist
, scenario writer and director. In the early days of his career, he was credited under the pseudonyms of "Runmaru" and "Runmal".
and the Ninja Gaiden
series. He went on to work for Gainax
, then Square
. He is mostly known for having penned the script of Chrono Trigger
(based on a story draft by Yuji Horii
), as well as Radical Dreamers, parts of Final Fantasy VII
, Xenogears
and Chrono Cross
.
Kato left Square after designing the plot of Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart to become a freelance scenario writer. In addition to games for different companies, he has continued to work on Square Enix
projects such as the World of Mana series, an enhanced port of Chrono Trigger for the Nintendo DS, and three more expansion chapters for Final Fantasy XI
.
In 2005, Masato Kato also collaborated with Yasunori Mitsuda
, longtime friend and music composer, to write a short story
titled Five Seasons of kiЯitɘ, which Mitsuda accompanied with music on his album kiЯitɘ. The story and soundtrack have also been presented in opera
form.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
video game artist
Game artist
A game artist is an artist who creates art for one or more types of games. Game artists are responsible for all of the aspects of game development that call for visual art...
, scenario writer and director. In the early days of his career, he was credited under the pseudonyms of "Runmaru" and "Runmal".
Biography
Kato first worked for Tecmo on Captain TsubasaCaptain Tsubasa (Famicom)
is a video game released on the Family Computer in 1988 by Tecmo and is based on the manga series of the same name.-Summary:...
and the Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden
is a series of video games by Tecmo featuring the ninja Ryu Hayabusa as its protagonist. The series was originally known as in Japan. The word "gaiden" in the North American Ninja Gaiden title means "side-story" in Japanese, even though the Ninja Gaiden series is not a spinoff of a previous series...
series. He went on to work for Gainax
Gainax
is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as Gunbuster, The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which have gone on to critical acclaim and commercial success, as well as for their association with...
, then Square
Square Co.
was a Japanese video game company founded in September 1983 by Masafumi Miyamoto. It merged with Enix in 2003 and became part of Square Enix...
. He is mostly known for having penned the script of Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a...
(based on a story draft by Yuji Horii
Yuji Horii
is a Japanese video game designer and scenario writer best known as the creator of the Dragon Quest series of console role-playing games, as well as the visual novel adventure game Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken.-History:Dragon Quest is recognized as the first role-playing game to posit the idea...
), as well as Radical Dreamers, parts of Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy VII
is a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
, Xenogears
Xenogears
is a science-fiction console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation. It was released on February 11, 1998 in Japan and on October 20, 1998 in North America. The game was never released in PAL territories...
and Chrono Cross
Chrono Cross
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the sequel to Chrono Trigger, which was released in 1995 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System...
.
Kato left Square after designing the plot of Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart to become a freelance scenario writer. In addition to games for different companies, he has continued to work on Square Enix
Square Enix
is a Japanese video game and publishing company best known for its console role-playing game franchises, which include the Final Fantasy series, the Dragon Quest series, and the action-RPG Kingdom Hearts series...
projects such as the World of Mana series, an enhanced port of Chrono Trigger for the Nintendo DS, and three more expansion chapters for Final Fantasy XI
Final Fantasy XI
, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by Square as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002...
.
In 2005, Masato Kato also collaborated with Yasunori Mitsuda
Yasunori Mitsuda
is a Japanese video game composer, sound programmer, and musician. He has composed music for or worked on over 35 games, and has contributed to over 15 other albums...
, longtime friend and music composer, to write a short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
titled Five Seasons of kiЯitɘ, which Mitsuda accompanied with music on his album kiЯitɘ. The story and soundtrack have also been presented in opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
form.
Early games
- Captain TsubasaCaptain Tsubasa (Famicom)is a video game released on the Family Computer in 1988 by Tecmo and is based on the manga series of the same name.-Summary:...
(1988): animation sprites - Ninja GaidenNinja Gaiden (NES), known in Japan as and as Shadow Warriors in Europe, is a side-scrolling platforming video game. It was developed and published by Tecmo for the Nintendo Entertainment System ; its development and release coincided with the beat 'em up arcade version of the same name. It was released in in...
(1988): pictures - Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of ChaosNinja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of ChaosNinja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, known in Japan as and as Shadow Warriors 2 in Europe, is a side-scrolling platforming video game developed and published by Tecmo for the Nintendo Entertainment System . It was released in Japan on , in North America in May 1990, and in Europe on...
(1990): movie director, scenario, pictures - Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of DoomNinja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of DoomNinja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom, known in Japan as is a side-scrolling platforming video game developed and published by Tecmo. It was released in Japan on for the Famicom and in North America in August 1991 for the Nintendo Entertainment System...
(1991): director of action sequences - Nadia: The Secret of Blue WaterNadia: The Secret of Blue Wateris a Japanese animated television series inspired by the works of Jules Verne, particularly Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and the exploits of Captain Nemo...
(1992): assistant director, planner, script writer, graphics - Princess Maker 2Princess Maker 2Princess Maker 2 is the second installment in the Princess Maker series of life simulation games developed by the Japanese computer game and anime production company Gainax. It has been translated into Korean and Chinese; an English-language beta version exists, but was never formally released. In...
(1993): planner, script writer, graphics
At Square
- Chrono TriggerChrono Triggeris a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. Chrono Triggers development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, a...
(1995): story planner, script writer - Radical Dreamers: Nusumenai Hōseki (1996): director, scenario and script writer
- Final Fantasy VIIFinal Fantasy VIIis a role-playing video game developed by Square and published by Sony Computer Entertainment as the seventh installment in the Final Fantasy series. It was originally released in 1997 for the Sony PlayStation and was re-released in 1998 for Microsoft Windows-based personal computers and in 2009...
(1997): event planner, script writer - XenogearsXenogearsis a science-fiction console role-playing game developed and published by Square for Sony's PlayStation. It was released on February 11, 1998 in Japan and on October 20, 1998 in North America. The game was never released in PAL territories...
(1998): event planner, script writer, lyricist - Chrono Trigger (PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
enhanced port) (1999): supervisor - Chrono CrossChrono Crossis a role-playing video game developed and published by Square for the PlayStation video game console. It is the sequel to Chrono Trigger, which was released in 1995 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System...
(1999): director, scenario and script writer, event planner, FMV storyboard - Final Fantasy XIFinal Fantasy XI, also known as Final Fantasy XI Online, is a MMORPG developed and published by Square as part of the Final Fantasy series. It was released in Japan on Sony's PlayStation 2 on May 16, 2002, and was released for Microsoft's Windows-based personal computers in November 2002...
(2002): plot conception and events, lyricist - Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart (2003): plot conception and events
As a freelancer
- Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost OceanBaten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Oceanis a 2003 role-playing video game that was developed by tri-Crescendo and Monolith Soft and published by Namco in Japan, North America and Europe and by Nintendo Australia for Australia and New Zealand for the Nintendo GameCube. First released in Japan in 2003, it is the first game in the Baten...
(2003): scenario writer, screenplay - Deep LabyrinthDeep Labyrinthis a 3D role-playing video game for mobile phones and the Nintendo DS. Key contributors for this game include writer Masato Kato and composer Yasunori Mitsuda.-Plot:...
(2006): scenario writer - Dawn of ManaDawn of ManaDawn of Mana, known in Japan as , is an action-adventure game developed and published by Square Enix for Sony's PlayStation 2. The game is part of Square Enix's World of Mana project that also includes Children of Mana, Heroes of Mana and Friends of Mana. The game was released on December 21, 2006...
(2006): scenario writer - Children of ManaChildren of ManaChildren of Mana, known in Japan as , is a 2006 action role-playing game for the Nintendo DS handheld game console, part of the Mana series and, more specifically, of the World of Mana project launched by Square Enix...
(2006): scenario writer - Heroes of Mana (2007): scenario writer
- Sands of Destruction (2008): scenario writer
- Chrono Trigger (Nintendo DSNintendo DSThe is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
enhanced port) (2008): supervisor - A Crystalline Prophecy: Ode to Life Bestowing (2009): plot conception
- A Moogle Kupo d'Etat: Evil in Small Doses (2009): plot conception
- A Shantotto Ascension: The Legend Torn, Her Empire Born (2009): plot conception
- Shiren the Wanderer (2008): scenario writer
- Fushigi no Dungeon: Fūrai no Shiren 4: Kami no Hitomi to Akuma no Heso (2010)
- Phantom BluePhantom bluePhantom Blue was an all-female American heavy metal band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1987. Phantom Blue were the first and only female artists to be signed to Mike Varney's Shrapnel Records, only three months after forming....
(2010) - Mystery Dungeon: Shiren the Wanderer 5 (2010)
- Ninja Gaiden 3Ninja Gaiden 3Ninja Gaiden 3 is an upcoming action-adventure video game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo Koei. It is the sequel to Ninja Gaiden II and will be released in early 2012. It will be the first title in the series not to be directed by franchise mainstay, Tomonobu Itagaki...
(2012)