Naoshi Mizuta
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on Final Fantasy XI
(with Nobuo Uematsu
and Kumi Tanioka
), but has also composed music for Mega Man & Bass
, Street Fighter Alpha, and Parasite Eve II
. He was formerly a composer for Capcom
, but is currently a composer for Square Enix
.
, Japan in 1972, Mizuta's interest in music began to grow when he "was in the second or third grade". One of his biggest musical influences was Ryuichi Sakamoto
. Although still interested in music, Mizuta studied law and economics at Chiba University
. He composed his first song while in his last year there, and after graduating went to work for Capcom
in 1995 as a composer. He began his career scoring the Street Fighter
series where he was involved in scoring Street Fighter Alpha in 1996 with Isao Abe, Syun Nishigaki, Setsuo Yamamoto, and Yuko Kadota.
In 1998, while still working for Capcom, Mizuta applied to Square
as a composer in response to an advertisement and was hired. His first assignment for Square was to score Parasite Eve II
, for which he was the sole composer and spent a year and a half working on. The original Parasite Eve game was scored by Yoko Shimomura
, and Mizuta incorporated some of the original game's tracks into the sequel. Mizuta's next role was as the main composer for the Final Fantasy XI
soundtrack, which he was assisted on by Nobuo Uematsu
and Kumi Tanioka
. Mizuta remained with the Final Fantasy XI project for the next few years, serving as the sole composer for the game's four expansions and multiple special events. During this period, Mizuta became involved in The Star Onions, a band composed of Square Enix composers for which he plays bass guitar. Other members of the band, which plays arrangements of songs from Final Fantasy XI, include Tanioka, Hidenori Iwasaki
, and Tsuyoshi Sekito
. The band has released two albums as of 2011, Music from the Other Side of Vana'diel and Sanctuary. Mizuta has also worked on several other projects for Square Enix, including Blood of Bahamut
and Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, both released in 2009. He would like to make another arranged album of music from Final Fantasy XI.
Arranger
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...
(with Nobuo Uematsu
Nobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
and Kumi Tanioka
Kumi Tanioka
is a Japanese video game music composer and musician. She is most known for composing the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series.-Early life:Kumi Tanioka was born in Hiroshima, Japan. She studied music and composition while in school and enjoyed listening to video game music as her younger brother...
), but has also composed music for Mega Man & Bass
Mega Man & Bass
Mega Man & Bass, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Capcom. It is a spin-off title in the original Mega Man series and was originally released exclusively in Japan on April 24, 1998 for the Super Famicom...
, Street Fighter Alpha, and Parasite Eve II
Parasite Eve II
is a horror action role-playing game for the PlayStation. The game was developed by SquareSoft and published in Japan in 1999 and in both North America and, unlike the previous game, in PAL regions in 2000...
. He was formerly a composer for Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
, but is currently a composer for 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...
.
Biography
Born in KōchiKochi, Kochi
is the capital city of Kōchi Prefecture on Shikoku island of Japan.Kōchi is the main city of the prefecture with over 40% of its population. As of May 31, 2008, the city had an estimated population of 340,515 and a density of...
, Japan in 1972, Mizuta's interest in music began to grow when he "was in the second or third grade". One of his biggest musical influences was Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ryuichi Sakamoto
After working as a session musician with Haruomi Hosono and Yukihiro Takahashi in 1977, the trio formed the internationally successful electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra in 1978. Known for their seminal influence on electronic music, the group helped pioneer electronic genres such as...
. Although still interested in music, Mizuta studied law and economics at Chiba University
Chiba University
is a national university in the city of Chiba, Japan. It offers Doctoral degrees in education as part of a coalition with Tokyo Gakugei University, Saitama University, and Yokohama National University.-Faculties:*Letters*Education*Law and Economics*Science...
. He composed his first song while in his last year there, and after graduating went to work for Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
in 1995 as a composer. He began his career scoring the Street Fighter
Street Fighter
, commonly abbreviated as SF, is a series of Fighting Games developed in Japan in which the players pit the video games' competitive fighters from around the world, each with his or her own unique fighting style, against one another...
series where he was involved in scoring Street Fighter Alpha in 1996 with Isao Abe, Syun Nishigaki, Setsuo Yamamoto, and Yuko Kadota.
In 1998, while still working for Capcom, Mizuta applied to 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...
as a composer in response to an advertisement and was hired. His first assignment for Square was to score Parasite Eve II
Parasite Eve II
is a horror action role-playing game for the PlayStation. The game was developed by SquareSoft and published in Japan in 1999 and in both North America and, unlike the previous game, in PAL regions in 2000...
, for which he was the sole composer and spent a year and a half working on. The original Parasite Eve game was scored by Yoko Shimomura
Yoko Shimomura
is a Japanese video game composer. She has been described as "the most famous female video game music composer in the world". She has worked in the video game music industry since graduating from Osaka College of Music in 1988...
, and Mizuta incorporated some of the original game's tracks into the sequel. Mizuta's next role was as the main composer for the 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...
soundtrack, which he was assisted on by Nobuo Uematsu
Nobuo Uematsu
is a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
and Kumi Tanioka
Kumi Tanioka
is a Japanese video game music composer and musician. She is most known for composing the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series.-Early life:Kumi Tanioka was born in Hiroshima, Japan. She studied music and composition while in school and enjoyed listening to video game music as her younger brother...
. Mizuta remained with the Final Fantasy XI project for the next few years, serving as the sole composer for the game's four expansions and multiple special events. During this period, Mizuta became involved in The Star Onions, a band composed of Square Enix composers for which he plays bass guitar. Other members of the band, which plays arrangements of songs from Final Fantasy XI, include Tanioka, Hidenori Iwasaki
Hidenori Iwasaki
is a Japanese synthesizer programmer and video game composer currently working at Square Enix. He studied at the Tokyo International University before joining Square in 1998. He first worked as a synthesizer programmer before becoming a composer. His first work as a solo composer is Front Mission 4...
, and Tsuyoshi Sekito
Tsuyoshi Sekito
is a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician who has been employed at Square Enix since 1995. As a composer, he is best known for scoring the video games Brave Fencer Musashi and The Last Remnant...
. The band has released two albums as of 2011, Music from the Other Side of Vana'diel and Sanctuary. Mizuta has also worked on several other projects for Square Enix, including Blood of Bahamut
Blood of Bahamut
is an action role-playing video game developed by Think & Feel and published by Square Enix. It was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on August 6, 2009.- Gameplay :...
and Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, both released in 2009. He would like to make another arranged album of music from Final Fantasy XI.
Discography
Composer- Street Fighter Alpha (1995) - with Isao Abe, Syun Nishigaki, Setsuo Yamamoto, and Yuko Takehara
- Street Fighter Zero 2 AlphaStreet Fighter Alpha 2Street Fighter Alpha 2, known as in Japan, Asia and South America, is a fighting game originally released for the CPS II arcade hardware by Capcom. The game is both a sequel and a remake to the previous years Street Fighter Alpha: Warriors' Dreams, which is itself a prequel to the Street Fighter...
(1996) - with Setsuo Yamamoto, Syun Nishigaki, and Tatsuro Suzuki - Resident Evil 2Resident Evil 2Resident Evil 2, known as in Japan, is a survival horror video game originally released for the PlayStation in 1998. Developed by Capcom as the second installment in the Resident Evil series, its story takes place two months after the events of the first game, Resident Evil...
(1998) - with Masami Ueda, Syun Nishigaki, and Shusaku Uchiyama - Rockman & ForteMega Man & BassMega Man & Bass, known in Japan as , is a video game developed by Capcom. It is a spin-off title in the original Mega Man series and was originally released exclusively in Japan on April 24, 1998 for the Super Famicom...
(1998) - with Toshihiko Horiyama and Akari KaidaAkari Kaidais a video game music composer. She has composed musical scores for Capcom games including Resident Evil, Dino Crisis and Ōkami... - Parasite Eve IIParasite Eve IIis a horror action role-playing game for the PlayStation. The game was developed by SquareSoft and published in Japan in 1999 and in both North America and, unlike the previous game, in PAL regions in 2000...
(1999) - 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) - with Nobuo UematsuNobuo Uematsuis a Japanese video game composer, best known for scoring the majority of titles in the Final Fantasy series. He is considered as one of the most famous and respected composers in the video game community...
and Kumi TaniokaKumi Taniokais a Japanese video game music composer and musician. She is most known for composing the Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series.-Early life:Kumi Tanioka was born in Hiroshima, Japan. She studied music and composition while in school and enjoyed listening to video game music as her younger brother... - Tetra Master (2002)
- Final Fantasy XI: Rise of the Zilart (2003)
- Final Fantasy XI: Chains of Promathia (2004)
- Hanjuku Hero 4 ~The 7 Heroes~Hanjuku Herois a Japan-exclusive series of real-time strategy video games. It is directed by Takashi Tokita and published by Square Enix . The series contains four main titles and a spinoff game, Egg Monster Hero...
(2005) - with Nobuo Uematsu, Kenji ItoKenji Ito, also known by the nickname , is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on the Mana and SaGa series, though he has worked on over 30 video games throughout his career as well as composed or arranged music for over 15 other albums, concerts, and plays...
, Tsuyoshi SekitoTsuyoshi Sekitois a Japanese video game composer, arranger, and musician who has been employed at Square Enix since 1995. As a composer, he is best known for scoring the video games Brave Fencer Musashi and The Last Remnant...
, Hirosato Noda, Ai Yamashita, and Kenichi Mikoshiba - Final Fantasy XI: Treasures of Aht Urhgan (2006)
- Final Fantasy XI: Wings of the Goddess (2007)
- The Shochu Bar (2007)
- Blood of BahamutBlood of Bahamutis an action role-playing video game developed by Think & Feel and published by Square Enix. It was released for the Nintendo DS in Japan on August 6, 2009.- Gameplay :...
(2009) - Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light (2009)
- Season of Mystery: The Cherry Blossom Murders (2009)
- Final Fantasy Legends: Hikari to Yami no SenshiFinal Fantasy Legends: Hikari to Yami no Senshiis a role-playing video game developed by Matrix Software and published by Square Enix for Japanese mobile phones. Like the previously released Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, it is an episodic game, with the first two installments released on September 9, 2010 on the i-mode distribution...
(2010) - Final Fantasy XIII-2Final Fantasy XIII-2is an upcoming console role-playing video game developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It is being produced by Square Enix's 1st Production Department...
(2011) - with Masashi HamauzuMasashi Hamauzuis a Japanese video game composer who was employed at Square Enix from 1996 to 2010. He is best known for his work on the Final Fantasy and SaGa series. Born into a musical family in Germany, Hamauzu was raised in Japan...
and Mitsuto Suzuki
Arranger
- Dragon Quest & Final Fantasy in Itadaki Street Special (2004)