# Kenji Yamamoto (composer, born 1964)

Kenji Yamamoto (山本 健誌, Yamamoto Kenji, born April 25, 1964) is a Japanese video game musician working for Nintendo, notable for composing music in many titles of the Metroid series, mainly Super Metroid and the Metroid Prime trilogy. Yamamoto also plays a role as a music director at Nintendo, overseeing audio for several of their games. He frequently collaborates with fellow composers Minako Hamano and Masaru Tajima.
Yamamoto's music utilizes heavy drums, piano, voiced chants, clangs of pipes, and electric guitar. In development of Super Metroid, Yamamoto came up with some of the game's themes by humming them to himself while riding his motorcycle home from work.
He was asked to compose the music for Metroid Prime to reinforce the series' continuity. Developers from Retro Studios noted how the process of fitting all the sound effects for a world in Metroid Prime into 6 MB of space was crucial in producing a quality aural experience, as each sound had to be of very high quality. Metroid Prime 3: Corruption took advantage of the increase in the amount of RAM that took place when the series switched from the GameCube to the Wii; this allowed for higher quality audio samples to be used and thus a better overall audio quality.

## Works

| Year | Title | Role |
| 1987 | Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! | Music with Yukio Kaneoka and Akito Nakatsuka |
| 1988 | Famicom Wars | Music with Hirokazu Tanaka |
| 1989 | Famicom Detective Club: The Girl Who Stands Behind | Music, sound effects |
| 1992 | Super Scope 6 | Sound |
| 1994 | Super Metroid | Music with Minako Hamano |
| 1995 | Galactic Pinball | Music with Masaru Tajima |
| 1997 | BS Tantei Club: Yuki ni Kieta Kako | Music |
| 1999 | Famicom Bunko: Hajimari no Mori | Music with Kozue Ishikawa |
| 2001 | Mario Kart: Super Circuit | Sound support |
| 2002 | Metroid Fusion | Sound director |
| 2002 | Metroid Prime | Music with Koichi Kyuma |
| 2004 | Metroid Prime 2: Echoes | Music |
| 2004 | Metroid: Zero Mission | Music with Minako Hamano |
| 2005 | Metroid Prime Pinball | Music with Masaru Tajima |
| 2005 | Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! | Sound director |
| 2006 | English Training: Have Fun Improving Your Skills! | Sound director |
| 2006 | Metroid Prime Hunters | Sound supervisor |
| 2006 | Excite Truck | Music with Masaru Tajima |
| 2007 | Metroid Prime 3: Corruption | Music with Minako Hamano and Masaru Tajima |
| 2008 | Super Smash Bros. Brawl | Arrangements |
| 2009 | Excitebots: Trick Racing | Music with Masaru Tajima and Shinji Ushiroda |
| 2010 | Photo Dojo | Sound supervisor |
| 2010 | Donkey Kong Country Returns | Music with various others |
| 2011 | Rhythm Heaven Fever | Sound support |
| 2011 | Pilotwings Resort | Music supervisor |
| 2011 | Sakura Samurai: Art of the Sword | Music director |
| 2011 | StreetPass Mii Plaza | Sound supervisor |
| 2012 | Kiki Trick | Sound supervisor |
| 2012 | Brain Age: Concentration Training | Sound supervisor |
| 2013 | Donkey Kong Country Returns 3D | Sound supervisor |
| 2013 | Tomodachi Life | Sound supervisor |
| 2013 | StreetPass Mii Plaza | Sound director |
| 2013 | Nintendoji | Music director |
| 2014 | Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze | Music supervisor |
| 2014 | Pokémon Art Academy | Sound supervisor |
| 2014 | Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS and Wii U | Arrangements |
| 2015 | Style Savvy: Fashion Forward | Sound supervisor |
| 2015 | Mario Tennis: Ultra Smash | Sound supervisor |
| 2015 | Real Dasshutsu Game x Nintendo 3DS | Sound director |
| 2015 | Rhythm Heaven Megamix | Sound support staff |
| 2015 | Tokyo Mirage Sessions ♯FE | Sound support |
| 2016 | Mini Mario & Friends: Amiibo Challenge | Music supervisor |
| 2016 | Disney Art Academy | Sound supervisor |
| 2016 | Miitopia | Sound supervisor |
| 2017 | Hey! Pikmin | Sound progress management |
| 2017 | Metroid: Samus Returns | Music director |
| 2018 | Sushi Striker: The Way of Sushido | Sound support |
| 2021 | Metroid Dread | Music director |
| 2023 | Metroid Prime Remastered | Music producer |