# Kenji Kawai

Kenji Kawai (川井 憲次, Kawai Kenji, born April 23, 1957) is a Japanese music composer and arranger. Known as one of the biggest names in the soundtrack world, he has worked on a wide range of mixed media productions, including anime, TV shows, films and video games. Among his credits are Toei's Kamen Rider Heisei Generations Forever, Tsui Hark's Seven Swords and Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon; Wilson Yip's Ip Man; Mamoru Oshii's films The Red Spectacles, StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops, Ghost in the Shell, Mobile Police Patlabor, the OVA and TV anime adaptations of Vampire Princess Miyu, The Sky Crawlers and Avalon; the anime adaptations of Rumiko Takahashi's Ranma ½ and Maison Ikkoku; the live-action adaptation of Gantz and Hideo Nakata's films Ring, Ring 2, Chaos, Dark Water and Kaidan.
His nephew, Hidehiro Kawai, is a bassist in Fox Capture Plan, an instrumental band.

## Career

After dropping out of a nuclear engineering program at Tokai University, Kawai began studying music at Shobi Music Academy. However, he dropped out after half a year. With a few friends, he created the band Muse, playing fusion rock and participating in music competitions. Through competing in such contests, the band members became technically competent to enter the music industry and decided to part ways.
After leaving Muse, Kawai began composing music for commercials in his home studio. While recording music for radio actor and voice actor Yūji Mitsuya, he met music director Naoko Asari, who advised him to compose anime soundtracks. Some of his work for anime soundtracks can be found in Ranma ½ and Ghost in the Shell. According to Kawai, he is not good at creating music from nothing, as he draws sounds from the visuals of the works. In the majority of cases, the images of the anime are not yet created, so he creates music when referencing storyboard visuals.
Following his success as an anime movies music composer, he became involved in live action movies. He contributed music to horror films: Ring, Ring 2, Dark Water, Japanese-Polish science-fiction film Avalon, the Hong Kong film Seven Swords and in the 2017 live action film Death Note.
Kawai has worked on several projects with director Mamoru Oshii (both Headgear members) and has written scores for all of Hideo Nakata's films. The most recent film featuring his music is 2009's Assault Girls by director Oshii. Kawai's music has received the Annie Award and Hong Kong Film Award. In 2005, Ghost in The Shell 2: Innocence he was nominated for an Annie Award.
For the music found in Seven Swords and A Battle of Wits he was nominated for Best Original Film Score Awards at both the 25th and 26th Hong Kong Film Awards in 2006 and 2007.

## Works
### Anime/television

| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1986 | Cosmos Pink Shock | TV Movie |
| 1986 | Maison Ikkoku | |
| 1987 | Devilman – The Birth | OVA |
| 1988 | Mobile Police Patlabor | OVA |
| 1988 | Vampire Princess Miyu | OVA |
| 1989 | Patlabor: The TV Series | |
| 1989 | Ranma 1/2 | |
| 1989 | Patlabor: The Movie | Movie |
| 1989 | Gosenzo-sama Banbanzai! | OVA |
| 1989 | Ranma 1/2: Nettohen | |
| 1990 | Devilman – The Demon Bird | OVA |
| 1990 | Project A-ko | OVA |
| 1990 | Karakuri Kengō Den Musashi Lord | |
| 1990 | Kyatto Ninden Teyandee | |
| 1990 | MAROKO | |
| 1991 | Burn Up! | OVA |
| 1991 | Ranma 1/2: Big Trouble in Nekonron, China | OVA |
| 1991 | Mermaid Forest | OVA |
| 1991 | Demon Warrior Luna Varga | OVA |
| 1992 | Zetsuai 1989 | OVA |
| 1992 | Hime-chan's Ribbon | |
| 1993 | Ranma ½ OVA | OVA |
| 1993 | The Irresponsible Captain Tylor | OVA, TV Series |
| 1993 | Patlabor 2: The Movie | Movie |
| 1994 | Blue Seed | |
| 1994 | Iczer Girl Iczelion | OVA |
| 1995 | Princess Minerva | OVA |
| 1995 | Ghost in The Shell | Movie |
| 1996 | Sorcerer Hunters | |
| 1996 | Baby and Me | |
| 1997 | Hyper Police | |
| 1997 | Vampire Princess Miyu | |
| 1999 | You're Under Arrest THE MOVIE | |
| 1999 | Dai-Guard | Movie |
| 2001 | Geisters – Fractions of Earth | |
| 2001 | Zaion: I Wish You Were Here | OVA |
| 2001 | Rave Master | |
| 2002 | WXIII: Patlabor the Movie 3 | |
| 2003 | Gunparade March | |
| 2004 | Ghost in The Shell 2: INNOCENCE | Movie |
| 2004 | Ultraman Nexus | |
| 2004 | Windy Tales | |
| 2005 | Starship Operators | |
| 2005 | MAKOTO [ja] | |
| 2006 | Fate/Stay Night | TV series |
| 2006 | Tachiguishi-Retsuden | Music and Actor |
| 2006 | Higurashi no Naku Koro ni | |
| 2007 | Seirei no Moribito | |
| 2007 | Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kai | |
| 2007 | Mobile Suit Gundam 00 | |
| 2008 | The Sky Crawlers | |
| 2009 | Eden of the East | |
| 2010 | Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works | |
| 2010 | Mobile Suit Gundam 00 the Movie: A Wakening of the Trailblazer | |
| 2011 | Towa no Quon | |
| 2011 | Busou Chuugakusei Basket Army | |
| 2012 | 009 Re:Cyborg | |
| 2012 | Unofficial Sentai Akibaranger | |
| 2014 | Barakamon | |
| 2014 | World Trigger | |
| 2014 | The Perfect Insider | |
| 2015 | Hana Moyu | Taiga drama |
| 2015 | Wakaba Girl | |
| 2015 | Subete ga F ni Naru | |
| 2016 | Mobile Police Patlabor: Reboot | ONA, serve as extra episode of Japan Animator Expo |
| 2016 | Joker Game | |
| 2016 | Mob Psycho 100 | |
| 2016 | Servamp | |
| 2016 | Touken Ranbu: Hanamaru | |
| 2017 | Ultraman Geed | |
| 2017 | Kamen Rider Build | |
| 2018 | The Ryuo's Work Is Never Done! | |
| 2018 | Manpuku | Asadora |
| 2019 | Afterlost | |
| 2019 | No Guns Life | |
| 2020 | Higurashi: When They Cry – Gou | |
| 2021 | Vlad Love | ONA |
| 2021 | Higurashi: When They Cry – Sotsu | |
| 2023 | The Fire Hunter | |
| 2023 | My Home Hero | |
| 2023 | Ōoku: The Inner Chambers | ONA |
| 2025 | Uma Musume Cinderella Gray | |

### Film

| Year | Title |
| 1987 | The Red Spectacles |
| 1991 | Mikadroid: Robokill Beneath Disco Club Layla |
| 1991 | StrayDog: Kerberos Panzer Cops |
| 1992 | Talking Head |
| 1998 | Ring |
| 1999 | Ring 2 |
| 2000 | Sadistic and Masochistic |
| 2000 | Sleeping Bride |
| 2000 | Chaos |
| 2001 | Avalon |
| 2001 | Unloved |
| 2001 | The Princess Blade |
| 2002 | Dark Water |
| 2002 | Samourais |
| 2002 | Bloody Mallory |
| 2004 | Kibakichi: Bakko yokaiden |
| 2004 | Kibakichi: Bakko yokaiden 2 |
| 2005 | Open Your Mind |
| 2005 | Antarctic Journal |
| 2005 | Seven Swords |
| 2005 | Rinne |
| 2005 | Kidan (奇谈) |
| 2006 | Death Note |
| 2006 | Running Wild |
| 2006 | Dragon Tiger Gate |
| 2006 | Trapped Ashes |
| 2006 | Death Note 2: The Last Name |
| 2006 | A Battle of Wits |
| 2007 | Kaidan |
| 2008 | Ip Man |
| 2009 | Assault Girls |
| 2009 | The Hovering Blade |
| 2010 | Ip Man 2 |
| 2010 | The Incite Mill |
| 2010 | Ultraman Zero: The Revenge of Belial |
| 2011 | GANTZ |
| 2011 | GANTZ: Perfect Answer |
| 2011 | Tormented |
| 2013 | Young Detective Dee: Rise of the Sea Dragon |
| 2014 | Garm Wars: The Last Druid |
| 2015 | Ip Man 3 |
| 2015 | Gamera |
| 2017 | Biohazard Vendetta |
| 2018 | Detective Dee: The Four Heavenly Kings |
| 2018 | Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms |
| 2019 | Ip Man 4 |
| 2019 | Blood Friends (血ぃともだち) |
| 2020 | The Yin-Yang Master: Dream of Eternity |
| 2021 | Limbo |
| 2024 | Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In |

### Video games

| Year | Title | Platform |
| 1990 | Sansara Naga | Famicom |
| 1990 | Bloody Warriors: Shangō no Gyakushū | Famicom |
| 1992 | Sorcerian | PC Engine |
| 1994 | Team Innocent: The Point of No Return | PC-FX |
| 1994 | Sansara Naga 2 | Super Famicom |
| 1998 | Deep Fear | Sega Saturn |
| 2003 | Nobunaga's Ambition Online (Chapter of Hiryu) | PlayStation 2 |
| 2007 | FolksSoul | PlayStation 3 |
| 2007–2010 | Sangokushi Online | Windows |

### Documentary

| Year | Title |
| 2009 | Apocalypse: The Second World War |

### Others

| Year | Title |
| 2015 | GAMERA |

## Awards and honors

* Asteroid 117582 Kenjikawai, discovered by Roy A. Tucker in 2005, was named in his honor. The official naming citation was published by the Minor Planet Center on January 9, 2020 (M.P.C. 120069).