TheComposers
List of Composers
Meet the composers involved with the Front Mission franchise.
- Hidenori Iwasaki
- Noriko Matsueda
- Yoko Shimomura
- Nobuo Uematsu
- Yasunori Mitsuda
- Masashi Hamauzu
- Junya Nakano
- Koji Hayama
- Hayato Matsuo
- Ryo Yamazaki
- Kenichiro Fukui
- Riow Arai
- Worked On: Front Mission First, Front Mission 4, Front Mission: Online, Front Mission 5: Scars of the War
- Credentials: Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
A former synthesizer operator for Square Enix Co., Ltd., Hidenori Iwasaki is the person most associated with Front Mission music. As a synthesizer operator, Iwasaki worked on various titles, such as Chocobo Racing, for Square Co., Ltd. dating back to 1998. It wasn't until 2003 that he became a composer for the company, in which his first task involved rearrangements and creating new tracks for Front Mission First. Since then, he has become the lead man for composing anything about Front Mission. While his composing experience only consists of the Front Mission and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles brands, Iwasaki has a bright future as one of the company's growing composers.
- Worked On: Front Mission, Front Mission 2
- Credentials: Bahamut Lagoon, Racing Lagoon, The Bouncer, Final Fantasy X-2
Noriko Matsueda is a former video game composer and was the person most associated with Front Mission music until Hidenori Iwasaki arrived. Her first composition was the original Front Mission, in which she was partnered with the more experienced Yoko Shimomura. Afterwards, Matsueda went on to compose Bahamut Lagoon and Front Mission 2. She and fellow composer Takahito Eguchi worked together on her next few projects, namely Racing Lagoon, The Bouncer, and Final Fantasy X-2. Sadly, after working on Final Fantasy X-2, Matsueda left Square Enix Co., Ltd. and quit the composition business altogether.
- Worked On: Front Mission
- Credentials: Kingdom Hearts (series), Mario & Luigi (series), Parasite Eve, Seiken Densetsu (Heroes of Mana, Legend of Mana)
Before working for Square in 1993, Yoko Shimomura gained fame for composing the Final Fight and Street Fighter II music. Interested in created "classical-style" role-playing music, she became most associated with not only Front Mission First, but also the Parasite Eve and Kingdom Hearts series. After finished composing with Kingdom Hearts, she went freelance in 2002 and is continuing to work on the series to this day. Yoko is currently working on the new Parasite Eve game, The 3rd Birthday, and Final Fantasy Versus XIII.
- Worked On: Front Mission: Gun Hazard
- Credentials: Blue Dragon, Final Fantasy (main numbered series), Hanjuku Hero (series), Lost Odyssey, The Guin Saga
Not only did Nobuo Uematsu's composition on Final Fantasy helped save Square Co., Ltd. from bankruptcy in 1987, but he also made a name for himself in the video game industry. Renown for the Final Fantasy series, he also co-composed Chrono Trigger with Yasunori Mitsuda and Front Mission: Gun Hazard with Yasunori Mitsuda, Junya Nakano, and Masashi Hamauzu. After forming The Black Mages, Uematsu left Square-Enix and formed his own companies, Smile Please and Dog Ear Records. He is currently working closely with Hironobu Sakaguchi's company, Mistwalker, where he worked on the Blue Dragon series and Lost Odyssey.
- Worked On: Front Mission: Gun Hazard
- Credentials: Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross, Xenogears, Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht, Luminous Arc
Originally hired as a sound engineer for Square co., Ltd., Yasunori Mitsuda pressured Hironobu Sakaguchi to become composer, landing him as lead composer for the critically-acclaimed Chrono Trigger. Mitsuda and Uematsu, along with Junya Nakano and Masashi Hamauzu, composed Front Mission: Gun Hazard. Known to over-exert himself while composing music for Square, he composed other successful titles, including Chrono Cross, Xenogears, and Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht. He recently finished composing scores for Arc Rise Fantasia and Xenoblade and is currently working on a number of undisclosed projects.
- Worked On: Front Mission: Gun Hazard
- Credentials: SaGa Frontier 2, Final Fantasy X, Unlimited Saga, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XIII
Masashi Hamauzu was born in Berlin, Germany to musically-oriented parents, where he learned sing and play the piano. After moving back to Japan, Hamauzu decided to send in his professional resume to Square. Personally impressed by Nobuo Uematsu in 1996, Hamauzu's first tackled the Front Mission: Gun Hazard score, along with Uematsu, Mitsuda, and Nakano in Square. After Uematsu left Square-Enix in 2004, Hamauzu was promoted as lead composer, where he composed Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy XIII. Masashi Hamauzu officially left Square-Enix on January 19th, 2010. It is currently unknown if he is working on any projects at this time.
- Worked On: Front Mission: Gun Hazard
- Credentials: Another Mind, Threads of Fate, Final Fantasy X, Dawn of Mana, Final Fantasy IV (Nintendo DS version)
After scoring a number of Konami arcade titles, Junya Nakano joined Square Co., Ltd. in 1995 and co-composed the Front Mission: Gun Hazard soundtrack, along with Uematsu, Mitsuda, and Hamauzu. Nakano has worked on a number of titles, including Threads of Fate, Final Fantasy X, and Final Fantasy IV: The After Years. He officially left Square-Enix on December 31st, 2009 to join Yuji Takenouchi's VGM Sound Creator's Alliance.
- Worked On: Front Mission 3
- Credentials: Cho Aniki, Gran Chaser, Kinzoku Bat Ichi-go, Super Robot Taisen Alpha
A seasoned video game composer, Koji Hayama was well-known for scoring the Cho Aniki Japanese wrestling game series. Hayama was asked to co-compose with Hayato Matsuo for Front Mission 3, composing a number of melodic and orchestral tracks. He has also worked on Ape Escape 2 and the Super Robot Taisen Alpha series.
- Worked On: Front Mission 3
- Credentials: Shenmue series, Magic Knight Rayearth (anime series), Hellsing Ultimate, Les Misérables - Shoujo Cosette
Personally trained and hired by Koichi Sugiyama for Enix Corporation, Hayato Matsuo co-composed music for the Dragon Warrior series and the later highly-acclaimed, Ogre Battle. In 1994, Matsuo was hired by Clamp to compose for the highly-popular mahou-shoujo animated series, Magic Knight Rayearth, creating a major turning point in his life. He was hired by Square R&D 7 to co-compose Front Mission 3 with Koji Hayama in 1999. Some of Matsuo's more recent works include the Shenmue series, Final Fantasy XII, and Hellsing Ultimate.
- Worked On: Front Mission 4, Front Mission Online
- Credentials: Racing Lagoon, Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers
Hired by Square Co., Ltd. in 1998, Yamazaki worked as a synthesizer programmer for a number of Square titles such as, Chrono Cross and Kingdom Hearts. He was brought in by Hidenori Iwasaki to compose some tracks for Front Mission 4 and Front Mission Online. He currently works for Square Enix Co., Ltd., having finished doing arrangements for the Final Fantasy XIII score.
- Worked On: Front Mission 5 ~Scars of the War~
- Credentials: Lethal Enforcers, Einhänder, Project Sylpheed
Kenichiro Fukui joined Konami Entertainment in 1990 to compose music for Lethal Enforcers and became keyboardist for the arrangement musical group, KuKeiHa CLUB. In 1997, he was brought in by Square Co., Ltd. to work on Einhänder and after the merge with Enix Corporation, Front Mission 5: Scars of the War in 2005, lending the more electronic scores along with orchestral music. Fukui recently worked on rearranging music for Final Fantasy XII and Final Fantasy IV for the Nintendo DS.
- Worked On: Front Mission Alternative
- Credentials: RIOW ARAI+NONGENETIC (collaboration with Shadow Huntaz) Tekken Dark Resurrection, Eureka seveN series
Previously known as DJ Again and Redsound, Riow Arai is quite well-known amongst Japanese trance artists, composing dozens of remixes and album collaborations with various artists. Riow Arai was hired by Square R&D 7 to create music for their experimental title Front Mission Alternative, comprised of mainly electronic and trance music. Much of his remixes and music can be found only on 12" vinyl records, including a number of Front Mission Alternative tracks on a single LP. He recently released his solo album, Number Nine, which can be bought via iTunes or Japanese music stores.
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