Motoi Sakuraba

Motoi Sakuraba (August 5, 1965) is a Japanese composer, mostly known for his extensive work with video game soundtracks. Hailing from the Akita Prefecture, he formed the prog rock band Clashed Ice in 1984 while attending Meiji University. The group split up shortly after releasing their studio debut Baroque in the Future in 1988. Still heavily influenced by progressive rock, his first solo album arrived in 1991 under the title Gikyokuonsou. In 1994, he joined Camelot Software Planning as a composer, writing original music for all the games in the Mario Golf, Mario Tennis, and Golden Sun series. In the following years, he became the head composer for game development companies Tri-Ace, Inc. and Tri-Crescendo, and contributed to the original soundtrack of Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008), Dark Souls (2011), and Phantasy Star Nova (2014). He has also written the score for numerous animé series such as Gensomaden Saiyuki (2000), Pluster Word (2016), and Tales of Zestiria the X (2018).