Yuka Kitamura
Yuka Kitamura 北村 友香 | |
|---|---|
| Born | April 27, 1990 Hokkaido, Japan |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 2011–present |
| Website | yuka-kitamura |
Yuka Kitamura (Japanese: 北村 友香, Hepburn: Kitamura Yuka; born April 27, 1990) is a Japanese composer and violinist. Kitamura is best known for her compositions of the Japanese video game developer FromSoftware, most notably for Dark Souls III, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring. She left FromSoftware in 2023 to pursue freelance work.
Biography
[edit]Kitamura was born in Hokkaido, Japan.[1] She has been interested in video games and music composition since her childhood, citing Majora's Mask as one of her favorite games and an influence for her professional ventures.[2] After graduating from Sapporo Visual Arts College with a degree in music production, she began working at FromSoftware in 2011.[1] There, she composed music for several of the studio’s successful games, including Bloodborne, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, and Elden Ring. She also took the place of Motoi Sakuraba as lead composer for Dark Souls III.[3] Additionally, she was a member of FreQuency, a band composed of members of FromSoftware's sound team and led by Tsukasa Saitoh. In August 2023, she announced that she was leaving FromSoftware and would be working as a freelancer from then on.[4] Since then, she has composed for the upcoming Touhou Project spin-off game The Touhou Empires,[5] and the anime series Witch Hat Atelier.[6]
Musical style
[edit]Kitamura is noted for not only composing her music, but occasionally performing individual parts. In addition to performing as a vocalist, she plays both violin and cello, and has performed with all three in some of her compositions.[7] She frequently combines sampled sounds and live performances in her music, mixing between the two to create her works.[8]
Her compositions are characterized by their oppressive and suspenseful nature, which underscores the often unsettling and violent scenes in FromSoftware’s games. The radio station NTS Radio noted that her music has accompanied the virtual deaths of millions of players.[9] The gaming website Gamekult stated that she excels in the realm of dark fantasy characteristic of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s games.[10]
Works
[edit]Video games
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Armored Core: Verdict Day | Music with Kota Hoshino |
| 2014 | Dark Souls II | Music with Motoi Sakuraba |
| Dark Souls II: The Lost Crowns | Music with Motoi Sakuraba | |
| 2015 | Bloodborne | "Watchers", "Rom, the Vacuous Spider", "Ebrietas, Daughter of the Cosmos" |
| Bloodborne: The Old Hunters | "Lady Maria of the Astral Clocktower" | |
| 2016 | Dark Souls III | Music with Motoi Sakuraba |
| Dark Souls III: Ashes of Ariandel | Music with Motoi Sakuraba | |
| 2017 | Dark Souls III: The Ringed City | Music with Motoi Sakuraba |
| 2018 | Déraciné | Music with Tsukasa Saitoh and Shoi Miyazawa |
| Disaster Report 4 Plus: Summer Memories | Music | |
| 2019 | Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice | Music |
| 2022 | Elden Ring | Music with Tsukasa Saitoh, Shoi Miyazawa, Tai Tomisawa, and Yoshimi Kudo |
| 2024 | Arknights | "Ratio Ultima", "Succession", "Cries of the Cinderbringer" |
| Elden Ring Shadow of the Erdtree | "Gravesite Plain", "Gravesite Plain at Night", "Abyssal Woods", "St. Trina" | |
| 2025 | Elden Ring Nightreign | "Spirit Shelter" |
| TBA | The Touhou Empires | Music[5] |
Film and television
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Shibuya Shadou | Short film |
| 2025 | The Betrayal | Short film |
| Witch Hat Atelier | Anime |
Awards and nominations
[edit]- The Game Awards 2022: Best Music for Elden Ring[11]
- British Academy Games Awards 2023: Best Music for Elden Ring[12]
- Game Developers Choice Awards 2023: Best Audio for Elden Ring[13]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Yuka Kitamura | Composer". Yuka-Kitamura.com. Archived from the original on 2026-02-17. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ Myers, Maddy (2024-08-11). "Elden Ring composer Yuka Kitamura used Zelda songs to motivate her piano practice". Polygon. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ Helton, Billie (2019-01-29). "SOUND TEST: Dark Souls Trilogy + Bloodborne". Everything Is Noise. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ Yang, George (2023-08-01). "Elden Ring, Bloodbourne Composer Yuka Kitamura Exits FromSoftware After 12 Years". IGN. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- 1 2 Serin, Kaan (2024-02-04). "Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and Dark Souls' seminal composer is now making music for the last game anyone expected". GamesRadar+. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ Kitamura, Yuka [@_Yuka_Kitamura_] (July 5, 2024). "I am pleased to announce that I will be composing the music of Anime "Witch Hat Atelier". I am grateful and happy to be able to color the beautiful world of this Animation with my music. Please look forward to more updates in the future! #witchhatatelier #AnimeExpo2024" (Tweet). Retrieved 2026-07-10 – via X (formerly Twitter).
- ↑ Motha, Sibonisile (2020-03-29). "Dark Souls & Bloodborne's Composer Is Returning For Elden Ring". ScreenRant. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ Madnani, Mikhail (2024-02-19). "Yuka Kitamura Interview: We Speak to the Legendary Elden Ring, Bloodborne, Dark Souls, and Elden Ring Composer About Going Freelance, Music Composition, 2024 Plans, and a Lot More". TouchArcade. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ "Women of Video Game Music: Yuka Kitamura 8th March 2023". NTS Radio. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ "Prodige de FromSoftware, la compositrice Yuka Kitamura annonce son départ". Gamekult (in French). 2023-08-01. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ Harte, Charles (2022-11-14). "The Full List of the 2022 Game Awards Nominees". Game Informer. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
- ↑ Tran, Edmond (2023-03-31). "BAFTA Games Awards 2023: All the Winners and Finalists". GamesHub. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
- ↑ Mejia, Ozzie (2023-01-26). "Elden Ring & Stray lead Game Developers Choice Awards 2023 nominees". Shacknews. Retrieved 2026-07-20.
External links
[edit]- Official website (in Japanese)
- Yuka Kitamura discography at Discogs
- Yuka Kitamura at IMDb
- Yuka Kitamura discography at MusicBrainz
| International | |
|---|---|
| Artists | |
