is a Japanese

video game composer Video game music (VGM) is the soundtrack that accompanies video games. Early video game music was once limited to sounds of early sound chips, such as programmable sound generators (PSG) or FM synthesis chips. These limitations have led to the s ...

and musician. Formerly employed by

Square Enix is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational holding company, video game publisher and entertainment conglomerate. It releases role-playing video game, role-playing game franchises, such as ''Final Fantasy'', ''Dragon Quest'', and '' ...

, he joined them in 1999 as a

synthesizer programmer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

on '' Legend of Mana'', working for them on several games. In 2002, he was promoted to the role of composer, beginning with ''World Fantasista'', and composed for several large-budget games, such as ''

The World Ends with You ''The World Ends with You'' is an action role-playing game co-developed by Square Enix and Jupiter for the Nintendo DS. Set in the modern-day Shibuya shopping district of Tokyo, ''The World Ends with You'' features a distinctive art style and ur ...

'', the ''

Final Fantasy is a Japanese fantasy Anthology series, anthology media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi which is owned, developed, and published by Square Enix (formerly Square (video game company), Square). The franchise centers on a series of fanta ...

'' series, and the ''

Kingdom Hearts is a series of action role-playing games developed and published by Square Enix (originally by Square) and owned by The Walt Disney Company. A collaboration between the two companies, it was conceptualized by Square employees, Japanese gam ...

'' series. In addition to his work for Square Enix, he is a composer and guitar player for the band The Death March. He left Square Enix at the end of 2017, becoming a freelancer.

Biography

According to Ishimoto, he first got into music due to living in the country, where there was nothing else to do. He first worked as a synthesizer programmer, beginning with '' Legend of Mana'' in 1999, before becoming a composer starting with the

PlayStation 2 The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October, in Europe on 24 Novembe ...

soccer game ''World Fantasista''. In 2004, he began to compose for games in the ''

'' series, which he had previously worked on as a synthesizer programmer for ''

Final Fantasy X is a 2001 role-playing video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for PlayStation 2. The tenth main installment in the ''Final Fantasy'' series, it is the first game in the series to feature fully 3D computer gra ...

''. His last work as a synthesizer programmer was for ''

Kingdom Hearts II ''Kingdom Hearts II'' is a 2005 action role-playing game developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Disney Interactive Studios, Buena Vista Games for the PlayStation 2 video game console. The game is a sequel to ''Kingdom Hear ...

'' in 2005; since then, he worked exclusively for Square Enix as a composer. Ishimoto was also a member of the Japanese musical group SAWA, which he formed along with Sawa Kato in October 2008, performing with the group under the name HIZMI. Kato sang some of SAWA's songs, also writing lyrics on Ishimoto's soundtrack for ''

''. The band released an album, ''333'', in 2008. After SAWA disbanded, in 2012 Ishimoto formed The Death March, a band that played and re-arranged music from soundtracks composed by him. In December 2017, Ishimoto announced that he would be leaving Square Enix and becoming a freelancer. Ishimoto stated that the decision to leave was his own, leaving on amicable terms with the company.

Style and legacy

Ishimoto was named by ''

IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...

'' as number ten in a list of the top ten JRPG composers in 2008. Ishimoto composes songs in many different genres, including rock, hip hop, electronica, and pop.

Works

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ishimoto, Takeharu 1970 births Living people Anime composers Japanese composers Japanese male composers Japanese video game composers Musicians from Miyazaki Prefecture Square Enix people