Ryuji Sasai
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese former video game composer and bass guitarist. He is best known for his work on Xak, Final Fantasy Legend III
and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
. Sasai is noted for his rock style. His musical career came about when he was 15 years old and he formed a band. Before entering the gaming industry, Sasai was involved in the anime department, scoring two television series and a film. After creating music for four games as a freelancer, he was employed at Square
from 1991 to 1998, where he worked on five games in total.
Although seemingly gone from the game music scene, he continued to compose music for bishōjo game
s, pachinko
machines, and bands under a pseudonym. During his career in game music, Sasai often collaborated with fellow composers Tadahiro Nitta, Chihiro Fujioka
, and Yasuhiro Kawakami
. He has also been a member of the rock bands Novela and Action, and is currently performing with Queen Mania and Spiders from Cabaret as a bassist.
, Japan, Ryuji Sasai began his musical career at the age of 15 playing instruments and forming a band. In 1982, he joined the rock band Novela; he was an instrumentalist and songwriter for several of their albums. During his stint with the band, he composed music for the anime series The Mysterious Cities of Gold
(1982) and Adventures of the Little Koala
(1984). After Novela dissolved in 1984, he provided the score for the 1986 film Windaria
alongside Satoshi Kadokura. He became a member of the band Action in 1988, where he was a bass guitarist and a backing vocalist; the band were active for a decade.
His debut as a video game composer came with Crystal Software's Mugen No Shinzo III in 1989 with Chihiro Fujioka
. After sending his demo tapes
and résumé to every software house
and game company listed in the PC-specialized magazines, he got one response from Micro Cabin
. He went on to compose music for three Xak games along with Tadahiro Nitta: Xak: The Art of Visual Stage
, Fray in Magical Adventure
, and Xak II: The Rising of the Red Moon
. During this time, he was working as a freelance composer. In 1991, after Fujioka had been hired as a director for Square
, Sasai was invited to join the company as they needed composers to assist Nobuo Uematsu
and Kenji Ito
. His first assignment was to create the soundtrack to the Game Boy
title Final Fantasy Legend III
. Sasai composed the majority of the score, with director Fujioka handling four pieces.
His subsequent work for Square was 1992's Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
(known as "Mystic Quest Legend" in Europe), which he composed with Yasuhiro Kawakami
; it was the first game in the Final Fantasy
series not to be composed by regular series composer Uematsu. After a hiatus during the peak of Action's activity, Sasai was assigned as the sole composer for the Japan-exclusive game Rudra no Hihō (1996). Afterward, he contributed the track "Character Select" for the score to the multi-composer game Tobal No. 1
; the track was featured in the game's arranged album, Tobal No. 1 Remixes Electrical Indian, arranged by the team, GUIDO.
After completing the score to Bushido Blade 2
and Action dispersed in 1998, Sasai left Square. He was originally going to score two role-playing game
s after Bushido Blade 2, but due to circumstances with the company, it did not come to pass. Since he had been given no other assignments by the company, he decided to leave Square. Under a pseudonym, he subsequently composed and arranged music for bishōjo game
s, pachinko
machines, and bands. Sasai is currently a bass guitarist for the Queen
tribute band, Queen Mania, and the rock band Spiders from Cabaret.
music and traditional Japanese instruments and harmonies. A member of the tribute band Queen Mania, Sasai cites Queen
as a major musical influence. Preferring the musical genres heavy metal and alternative rock
, his favorite bands are Extreme
, Judas Priest
, and Red Hot Chili Peppers
. He has said that he also listens to hard rock and has begun to enjoy genres such as progressive rock
as well. When he started working in the game industry, he listened to a lot of film and classical music.
Final Fantasy Legend III
Final Fantasy Legend III, originally released in Japan as , is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Co. for the Game Boy handheld system as the third game of their SaGa series. Initially released for Japanese audiences in December 1991, the game was made available in North...
and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, released as Mystic Quest Legend in PAL regions and as in Japan, is a role-playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released as a spin-off to Square's popular Final Fantasy series of video games...
. Sasai is noted for his rock style. His musical career came about when he was 15 years old and he formed a band. Before entering the gaming industry, Sasai was involved in the anime department, scoring two television series and a film. After creating music for four games as a freelancer, he was employed at 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...
from 1991 to 1998, where he worked on five games in total.
Although seemingly gone from the game music scene, he continued to compose music for bishōjo game
Bishojo game
A , or , is "a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive anime-style girls". These games are a sub-genre of dating sims targeted towards a male audience....
s, pachinko
Pachinko
is a type of game originating in Japan, and used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a niche in gambling in Japan comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gambling. A pachinko machine resembles a vertical pinball machine, but...
machines, and bands under a pseudonym. During his career in game music, Sasai often collaborated with fellow composers Tadahiro Nitta, Chihiro Fujioka
Chihiro Fujioka
is a video game director at the Nintendo second-party developer AlphaDream. He was previously a composer of several video games, making contributions to the Burai and Final Fantasy Legend series. His directing work includes Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Koto Battle: Tengai no...
, and Yasuhiro Kawakami
Yasuhiro Kawakami
is a Japanese video game composer and sound programmer who was employed at Square from 1991 to 1999. He created music for three games and was the sound programmer for Rudra no Hihō...
. He has also been a member of the rock bands Novela and Action, and is currently performing with Queen Mania and Spiders from Cabaret as a bassist.
Biography
Born in OsakaOsaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
, Japan, Ryuji Sasai began his musical career at the age of 15 playing instruments and forming a band. In 1982, he joined the rock band Novela; he was an instrumentalist and songwriter for several of their albums. During his stint with the band, he composed music for the anime series The Mysterious Cities of Gold
The Mysterious Cities of Gold
abbreviated MCoG, is a Japanese-French animated series co-produced by DiC Entertainment and Studio Pierrot. The series premiered in Japan on NHK on May 1, 1982 and ran weekly for 39 episodes until its conclusion on February 5, 1983...
(1982) and Adventures of the Little Koala
Adventures of the Little Koala
is an anime TV series produced by Tohokushinsha Film Corporation. It aired originally in Japan on TV Tokyo from October 4, 1984 through March 28, 1985, and then aired in the United States on Nickelodeon dubbed in English from 1987 to 1994...
(1984). After Novela dissolved in 1984, he provided the score for the 1986 film Windaria
Windaria
-Release and marketing:Windaria was released theatrically in Japan on July 19, 1986. In 1987, Harmony Gold licensed Windaria for release in the United States, changing the title to Once Upon A Time and trimming the movie from its 101-minute running time to 95 minutes. The English language version...
alongside Satoshi Kadokura. He became a member of the band Action in 1988, where he was a bass guitarist and a backing vocalist; the band were active for a decade.
His debut as a video game composer came with Crystal Software's Mugen No Shinzo III in 1989 with Chihiro Fujioka
Chihiro Fujioka
is a video game director at the Nintendo second-party developer AlphaDream. He was previously a composer of several video games, making contributions to the Burai and Final Fantasy Legend series. His directing work includes Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Koto Battle: Tengai no...
. After sending his demo tapes
Demo (music)
A demo version or demo of a song is one recorded for reference rather than for release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas on tape or disc, and provide an example of those ideas to record labels, producers or other artists...
and résumé to every software house
Software house
A software house is a company whose primary products are software.- Types :There are a number of different types of software houses:*Large and well-known companies such as Microsoft, SAP AG, Oracle Corporation, HP, Adobe Systems, Apple Inc...
and game company listed in the PC-specialized magazines, he got one response from Micro Cabin
Micro Cabin
Micro Cabin Corporation was a Japan-based video game developer and publisher incorporated in 1982, who grew from the Ōyachi Electrics Microcomputer Club. Micro Cabin has developed/released games for the: 3D0, Dreamcast, Game Boy Color, MSX2, PC, PlayStation, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, Saturn,...
. He went on to compose music for three Xak games along with Tadahiro Nitta: Xak: The Art of Visual Stage
Xak: The Art of Visual Stage
is the first game in the fantasy computer role-playing game series Xak developed and published by Micro Cabin. It was originally released for the NEC PC-8801 computer system, with subsequent versions being developed for the NEC PC-9801, Sharp X68000, MSX2, PC-Engine, Super Famicom, and mobile...
, Fray in Magical Adventure
Fray in Magical Adventure
Fray in Magical Adventure is a spinoff sidestory or "gaiden" game in a fantasy computer role-playing game series called Xak developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin. Even though it is directly connected to the more serious Xak series storyline, Fray has a less serious...
, and Xak II: The Rising of the Red Moon
Xak II: The Rising of the Red Moon
Xak II: The Rising of the Red Moon is a fantasy computer role-playing game developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin. It is a direct sequel to Xak: The Art of Visual Stage . The game was released in Japan only, but due to an MSX scene that arose in Europe some of the...
. During this time, he was working as a freelance composer. In 1991, after Fujioka had been hired as a director for 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...
, Sasai was invited to join the company as they needed composers to assist 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 Kenji Ito
Kenji 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...
. His first assignment was to create the soundtrack to the Game Boy
Game Boy
The , is an 8-bit handheld video game device developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on , in North America in , and in Europe on...
title Final Fantasy Legend III
Final Fantasy Legend III
Final Fantasy Legend III, originally released in Japan as , is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Co. for the Game Boy handheld system as the third game of their SaGa series. Initially released for Japanese audiences in December 1991, the game was made available in North...
. Sasai composed the majority of the score, with director Fujioka handling four pieces.
His subsequent work for Square was 1992's Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest
Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, released as Mystic Quest Legend in PAL regions and as in Japan, is a role-playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released as a spin-off to Square's popular Final Fantasy series of video games...
(known as "Mystic Quest Legend" in Europe), which he composed with Yasuhiro Kawakami
Yasuhiro Kawakami
is a Japanese video game composer and sound programmer who was employed at Square from 1991 to 1999. He created music for three games and was the sound programmer for Rudra no Hihō...
; it was the first game in the Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
series not to be composed by regular series composer Uematsu. After a hiatus during the peak of Action's activity, Sasai was assigned as the sole composer for the Japan-exclusive game Rudra no Hihō (1996). Afterward, he contributed the track "Character Select" for the score to the multi-composer game Tobal No. 1
Tobal No. 1
is a fighting game for the PlayStation developed by DreamFactory and published by Square in 1996. The game was DreamFactory's first release, as well as Square's first release on the CD-based console....
; the track was featured in the game's arranged album, Tobal No. 1 Remixes Electrical Indian, arranged by the team, GUIDO.
After completing the score to Bushido Blade 2
Bushido Blade 2
is a fighting game published by Square, released in both Japan and North America in 1998. It is the sequel to Bushido Blade, which had been released the previous year....
and Action dispersed in 1998, Sasai left Square. He was originally going to score two role-playing game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
s after Bushido Blade 2, but due to circumstances with the company, it did not come to pass. Since he had been given no other assignments by the company, he decided to leave Square. Under a pseudonym, he subsequently composed and arranged music for bishōjo game
Bishojo game
A , or , is "a type of Japanese video game centered on interactions with attractive anime-style girls". These games are a sub-genre of dating sims targeted towards a male audience....
s, pachinko
Pachinko
is a type of game originating in Japan, and used as both a form of recreational arcade game and much more frequently as a gambling device, filling a niche in gambling in Japan comparable to that of the slot machine in Western gambling. A pachinko machine resembles a vertical pinball machine, but...
machines, and bands. Sasai is currently a bass guitarist for the Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
tribute band, Queen Mania, and the rock band Spiders from Cabaret.
Musical style and influences
Sasai is famous for his rock style; the soundtrack to Bushido Blade 2 consists of hard rockHard rock
Hard rock is a loosely defined genre of rock music which has its earliest roots in mid-1960s garage rock, blues rock and psychedelic rock...
music and traditional Japanese instruments and harmonies. A member of the tribute band Queen Mania, Sasai cites Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
as a major musical influence. Preferring the musical genres heavy metal and alternative rock
Alternative rock
Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...
, his favorite bands are Extreme
Extreme (band)
Extreme is an American rock band, headed by frontmen Gary Cherone and Nuno Bettencourt, that reached the height of their popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s.Among some of Extreme's musical influences are Queen and Van Halen...
, Judas Priest
Judas Priest
Judas Priest are an English heavy metal band from Birmingham, England, formed in 1969. The current line-up consists of lead vocalist Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. The band has gone through several drummers over the years,...
, and Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Red Hot Chili Peppers is an American rock band, formed in Los Angeles in 1983. The group's musical style primarily consists of rock with an emphasis on funk, as well as elements from other genres such as punk, hip hop and psychedelic rock...
. He has said that he also listens to hard rock and has begun to enjoy genres such as progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
as well. When he started working in the game industry, he listened to a lot of film and classical music.
Discography
| Anime | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Co-worker |
| 1982 | The Mysterious Cities of Gold The Mysterious Cities of Gold abbreviated MCoG, is a Japanese-French animated series co-produced by DiC Entertainment and Studio Pierrot. The series premiered in Japan on NHK on May 1, 1982 and ran weekly for 39 episodes until its conclusion on February 5, 1983... |
Composition | Haim Saban Haim Saban Haim Saban is an Egyptian born Israeli-American television and media proprietor. With an estimated net worth of $3.5 billion, he is ranked by Forbes as the 104th richest person in America.-Biography:... and Shuki Levy Shuki Levy Shuki Levy is a music composer and television writer, director, and executive producer. Levy's best known work is soundtrack compositions for children's television programs of the 1980s, such as Inspector Gadget, The Mysterious Cities of Gold, M.A.S.K., Dinosaucers, Dragon Quest, He-Man and the... |
| 1984 | Adventures of the Little Koala Adventures of the Little Koala is an anime TV series produced by Tohokushinsha Film Corporation. It aired originally in Japan on TV Tokyo from October 4, 1984 through March 28, 1985, and then aired in the United States on Nickelodeon dubbed in English from 1987 to 1994... |
Composition | |
| 1986 | Windaria Windaria -Release and marketing:Windaria was released theatrically in Japan on July 19, 1986. In 1987, Harmony Gold licensed Windaria for release in the United States, changing the title to Once Upon A Time and trimming the movie from its 101-minute running time to 95 minutes. The English language version... |
Composition | Satoshi Kadokura |
| Video games | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Co-worker |
| 1989 | Mugen no Shinzou 3 | Composition | Chihiro Fujioka Chihiro Fujioka is a video game director at the Nintendo second-party developer AlphaDream. He was previously a composer of several video games, making contributions to the Burai and Final Fantasy Legend series. His directing work includes Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars, Koto Battle: Tengai no... |
| Xak: The Art of Visual Stage Xak: The Art of Visual Stage is the first game in the fantasy computer role-playing game series Xak developed and published by Micro Cabin. It was originally released for the NEC PC-8801 computer system, with subsequent versions being developed for the NEC PC-9801, Sharp X68000, MSX2, PC-Engine, Super Famicom, and mobile... |
Composition | Tadahiro Nitta | |
| 1990 | Fray in Magical Adventure Fray in Magical Adventure Fray in Magical Adventure is a spinoff sidestory or "gaiden" game in a fantasy computer role-playing game series called Xak developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin. Even though it is directly connected to the more serious Xak series storyline, Fray has a less serious... |
Composition | Tadahiro Nitta |
| Xak II: The Rising of the Red Moon Xak II: The Rising of the Red Moon Xak II: The Rising of the Red Moon is a fantasy computer role-playing game developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin. It is a direct sequel to Xak: The Art of Visual Stage . The game was released in Japan only, but due to an MSX scene that arose in Europe some of the... |
Composition | Tadahiro Nitta | |
| 1991 | Final Fantasy Legend III Final Fantasy Legend III Final Fantasy Legend III, originally released in Japan as , is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square Co. for the Game Boy handheld system as the third game of their SaGa series. Initially released for Japanese audiences in December 1991, the game was made available in North... |
Composition/arrangement | Chihiro Fujioka |
| 1992 | Final Fantasy Mystic Quest Final Fantasy Mystic Quest Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, released as Mystic Quest Legend in PAL regions and as in Japan, is a role-playing video game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released as a spin-off to Square's popular Final Fantasy series of video games... |
Composition/arrangement | Yasuhiro Kawakami Yasuhiro Kawakami is a Japanese video game composer and sound programmer who was employed at Square from 1991 to 1999. He created music for three games and was the sound programmer for Rudra no Hihō... |
| 1996 | Rudra no Hihō | Composition/arrangement | |
| Tobal No. 1 Tobal No. 1 is a fighting game for the PlayStation developed by DreamFactory and published by Square in 1996. The game was DreamFactory's first release, as well as Square's first release on the CD-based console.... |
Composition/arrangement | many others | |
| 1998 | Bushido Blade 2 Bushido Blade 2 is a fighting game published by Square, released in both Japan and North America in 1998. It is the sequel to Bushido Blade, which had been released the previous year.... |
Composition/arrangement | |
| 2010 | SaGa 3 Jikū no Hasha: Shadow or Light | Composition/arrangement | Kenji Ito Kenji 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... |