The Mega Man series has had a lot of composers over the years. The classic games in particular make a point of rarely keeping the same composer for more than two games, which leads to a lot of unique takes on the "Mega Man sound". While I'm sure many people live and die by the 8-bit rock sound of Mega Man 2, I love music from all across the series, and wanted to give a shoutout to some of my personal favorite Mega Man composers, while also including some other soundtracks they worked on.
Keep in mind that my favorite Mega Man composers may not always align with my favorite Mega Man soundtracks. If you've seen my Soundtrack Retrospective, some of the composers on this list might even surprise you.
10. Akari Kaida
Soundtracks: Mega Man & Bass, 10, Battle Network 1, 5, Star Force 3, Breath Of Fire 3
Highlights: Ground Man, Dynamo Man, Pirate Man, Operation!, Net Battle, Ride On
Akari Kaida is one half of the duo of Mega Man Battle Network composers, and she basically defined the series' sound with her great soundtrack for Battle Network 1. Compared to frequent co-composer Yoshino Aoki, Kaida's style is usually really jazzy, which especially shines in the lovably laid-back soundtrack for Mega Man & Bass. Expect some top-notch basslines and stellar choruses whenever you hear a Kaida track.
9. Yuko Takehara
Soundtracks: Mega Man 6, 7, X, 10
Highlights: Tomahawk Man, Mr X Fortress, Jurassic Jungle, Boomer Kuwanger
Yuko Takehara's music is more rhythmic and slow-paced than what you'd expect from a Mega Man game, with a big emphasis on percussion. Takehara really shines when it comes to chiptune, with her soundtrack for Mega Man 6 being one of the cleanest-sounding on the NES, but my favorite tracks by her are the few she's worked on for the SNES entries like MM7 and MMX.
8. Luna Umegaki
Soundtracks: Mega Man Zero 2, 4, ZX Advent, and all of the soundtrack remixes
Highlights: Silver Wolf, Esperanto, Holy Land, Cyber Space, the entire résonnant vie album
Luna Umegaki tracks only show up sparingly within the Zero series, but they usually make one heck of an impact when they do. Umegaki's melancholic style did so much of the heavy-lifting for Zero 4's tone and atmosphere, and she's even responsible for the iconic Esperanto leitmotif. On top of that, she's responsible for a vast majority of the soundtrack remixes for the Zero and ZX games, many of which I even prefer over the originals.
7. Yoshino Aoki
Soundtracks: Mega Man Battle Network 2, 3, 6, Star Force 1-3, Breath Of Fire 3
Highlights: Battle Spirit, Peace Again, Shooting Enemy, Surge Of Power, Shooting Star, Wave Battle
While Kaida laid the groundwork for Battle Network's sound, I think most fans recognize that her co-composer Yoshino Aoki is the Battle Network composer, having worked on the most beloved soundtracks for all the most beloved games in the series. While her style does share some similarities with Kaida's, Aoki often substitutes laid-back jazz for intense dramatic techno, leading to a phenomenal track record when it comes to battle and dungeon themes.
6. Masaki Suzuki
Soundtracks: Mega Man Zero 2, 3, 4, ZX, ZX Advent
Highlights: Ice Brain, Gravity, Power Bom, Old Life Space, Max Heat, Green Grass Gradation, Snake Eyes, Destiny, Oriental Sentinels
Masaki Suzuki is the guitarist of Inti Creates, and yeah, it shows. His tracks are either hard metal or banging rave techno with no in between, and they're almost always outstanding. His tracks also tend to be the heaviest and edgiest in terms of tone, from atmospheric choirs to fierce guitar riffs. Definitely one of the most underappreciated composers of all time considering how many fan favorites he's made that no one seems to recognize him for.
5. Shusaku Uchiyama
Soundtracks: Mega Man 8, 10, X3 PS1, lots of Resident Evil
Highlights: Toxic Seahorse PS1, Gravity Beetle PS1, Wily Stage 1 (X8), Astro Man, Search Man, X8 Opening, Absolute Chill
Definitely the quirkiest Mega Man composer out there, and also the most divergent from the series' rock roots. Being arguably the main Resident Evil composer, Uchiyama's style is way more heavy on synths, dissonant repeating notes, and eerie vibes. It works oddly well for the series though, with Mega Man 8's synthy DnB style making for one of my personal favorite soundtracks in the series.
4. Mari Yamaguchi
Soundtracks: Mega Man 5, 10
Highlights: Proto Man Fortress, Napalm Man, Wave Man, Gravity Man, Charge Man, Cybersheep's Dream
I'm not going to sugarcoat it, Mari Yamaguchi is one of the best chiptune artists I've ever heard. Her distinct polyrhythmic style, consistently catchy melodies, and complex compositions elevate Mega Man 5's soundtrack to my absolute favorite out of the Classic games. It's a shame she hasn't worked on too much else, though her phenomenal track in Mega Man 10 showed she's still got it even after all these years.
3. Naoto Tanaka
Soundtracks: Mega Man X5-X8, Ace Attorney - Justice For All
Highlights: X5 Opening, Squid Adler, Duff McWhalen, Mattrex, Zero Stages 1 & 2, X Vs Zero, Opening Stage (X6), Commander Yammark, Blaze Heatnix, Infinity Mijinion, Primrose, Vs (Copy) Sigma
Naoto Tanaka probably struck the perfect balance between rock and techno, with a distinctly 80s style boasting signature guitar wails, groovy basslines, and airy synths. He's responsible for a ton of the best and most beloved tracks from the second half of the Mega Man X series, including the entirety of X6's soundtrack, and you can tell the guy just gets Mega Man.
2. Toshihiko Horiyama
Soundtracks: Mega Man 7, & Bass, X, X3 PS1, X4, Battle Network 4, Tron Bonne, Powered Up, Apollo Justice, Demon's Crest
Highlights: Freeze Man, Vile Stage (PS1), Web Spider, Jet Stingray, Split Mushroom, Cyber Peacock, Iris, Nakkai Desert, Battle With Myself
Toshihiko Horiyama's first video game track was the Password theme from X1, which was apparently so good that it launched him into becoming one of the franchise's most prolific composers, working on games in the Classic, X, Battle Network, and even Legends series. His style is a lot like Uchiyama's, with a distinct synth sound, dissonant melodies, and a melancholic undercurrent to a lot of his tracks that make it so that you can always tell when you're listening to something by Horiyama. It all coalesces into his magnum opus, the X4 soundtrack, one of the most complete and tonally cohesive Mega Man soundtracks in the franchise.
1. Ryo Kawakami
Soundtracks: ZX, ZX Advent, 9, 10
Highlights: Mountain Rider, Gauntlet, Doomsday Device, Through The Lightning, Bullet Drive, Whisper Of Relics, Trap Factory/Phantasm, Flash In The Dark, Against The Pressure, Deep In Space, Farewell To Ballade
Ryo Kawakami is a bit of a late arrival to Inti Creates, only starting off with ZX, but what makes him special is that his music is somehow always spectacular. The man hasn't made a single weak track, they're all great. Kawakami's style can be best described as exhilarating, with uplifting melodies, fast tempos, and a blend of guitars and techno that show an incredibly deep understanding of this franchise on a musical level. Remember, this guy made Flash In The Dark, the Wily Castle theme that managed to somehow usurp the fandom's sacred cow, MM2 Wily Castle 1, from its throne. That's how you know Ryo Kawakami's music is truly something special.
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