Takeharu Ishimoto

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.

• Name — Takeharu Ishimoto • Born — 29 May 1970 • Birthplace — Nichinan, Miyazaki, Japan • Instrument — * Piano • guitar • Genre — * Video game music • rock • hip hop • pop • electronica • Occupation — * Composer • musician • Years Active — 1998–present • Label — THRILL

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 soccer game World Fantasista. In 2004, he began to compose for games in the Final Fantasy series, which he had previously worked on as a synthesizer programmer for Final Fantasy X. His last work as a synthesizer programmer was for Kingdom Hearts II 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 World Ends with You. 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.

• Year — Title — Role — Ref. • 1999 — Legend of Mana — Synthesizer programmer • Front Mission 3 — Synthesizer programmer • 2000 — Vagrant Story — Synthesizer programmer • All Star Pro-Wrestling — Synthesizer programmer • 2001 — Final Fantasy X — Synthesizer programmer • All Star Pro-Wrestling II — Synthesizer programmer • 2002 — World Fantasista — Music with Masayoshi Soken • 2003 — All Star Pro-Wrestling III — Synthesizer programmer • 2004 — Before Crisis: Final Fantasy VII — Music • Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories — Synthesizer programmer • 2005 — Last Order: Final Fantasy VII — Music • Kingdom Hearts II — Synthesizer programmer • 2007 — Monotone — Music • The World Ends with You — Music • Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII — Music • 2008 — Dissidia Final Fantasy — Music • 2010 — Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep — Music with Yoko Shimomura and Tsuyoshi Sekito • 2011 — Dissidia 012 Final Fantasy — Music • Final Fantasy Type-0 — Music • 2012 — Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance — Music with Yoko Shimomura and Tsuyoshi Sekito • 2014 — Final Fantasy Agito — Music • 2015 — Final Fantasy Type-0 HD — Music • Rampage Land Rankers — Music • Dissidia Final Fantasy — Music with Keiji Kawamori and Tsuyoshi Sekito • 2018 — Dissidia Final Fantasy NT — Music • 2019 — Kingdom Hearts III — Music with Yoko Shimomura and Tsuyoshi Sekito • 2021 — The World Ends with You: The Animation — Music • Neo: The World Ends with You — Music • 2022 — Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion — Arrangements • 2024 — Tsurugihime — Music • 2025 — BLEACH Rebirth of Souls — Music

Takeharu Ishimoto is recorded with the occupation guitarist. Classed in the genre rock music. Recorded as composer, guitarist and pianist.