Toru Minegishi

Toru Minegishi
Born	1975 Shibukawa, Japan
University	Sophia University
Company	Nintendo EAD Kyoto (1998-2015) Nintendo EPD (2015-present)
Position	Music Composer
First game	Pocket Monsters Stadium
Latest game	Splatoon 2

Toru Minegishi is a composer who works at Nintendo EPD. He has been behind the soundtrack of several titles in the Legend of Zelda franchise, being The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks among his most prominent works. He was also the main composer of games like Wii Fit and the Splatoon series.

He later got transfered to Nintendo EPD's Sound Group in September 2015 along with other Nintendo Composers

Minegishi is also known to have provided voice acting for some characters like Petey Piranha.

Biography

At ten years of age, Toru Minegishi desperately wanted The Legend of Zelda on the Famicom Disk System after seeing the commercial for the game. He explained that the sounds he heard in the advertisement were incredible to him. He told his parents after seeing the ad that in his swimming class he would swim 40 meters if they would purchase the game for him. He was able to do so, and the parents bought him the game. According to Minegishi, he was fully engrossed in the title which lead to a deep respect for the game's composer and sound designer, Koji Kondo, who he would end up working for. His love for video games developed a dream to become a video game composer.

He applied at Nintendo for the job and was presented a test to compose music for various different themes. There was also a written test as well. He managed to pass both tests and thus got a job at the company. One of his earliest creations was the startup sound for the Nintendo GameCube. In Animal Crossing he composed over 50 songs for K.K. Slider to play. While he worked on several video games early on including the Pokémon Stadium series and Animal Crossing, he said that Super Mario Sunshine was the game that taught him the "difficulties of the sound-design process".

Some of Toru Minegishi's inspirations are Andrew Lloyd Webber, Alan Menken (whose music helped inspire The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker's tracks), Sting, Maurice Ravel and Pérez Prado.

Production History

• Pocket Monsters Stadium (1998) - Sound Composition
• Pokémon Stadium (1999) - Sound Composition (w/Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai)
• Mario Artist: Talent Studio (2000) - Music Composition
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask (2000) - Music Support, Music Composer
• Animal Forest (2001) - Indoor BGM
• Nintendo Gamecube (2001) - Startup Music Composition
• Animal Crossing (2001) - Indoor BGM
• Super Mario Sunshine (2002) - Sound Effect Programming
• The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker (2002) - Music (w/Kenta Nagata, Hajime Wakai, Koji Kondo)
• Animal Forest e+ (2003) - Music Composition
• Mario Golf: Toadstool Tour (2003) - Sound Effects
• Donkey Konga (2003) - Sound Support
• Mario Pinball Land (2004) - Mario Series Sound Effects
• Yoshi Touch & Go (2005) - Music (w/Asuka Ohta)
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (2006) - Music (w/Asuka Ota, Koji Kondo)
• The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (2007) - Music (w/Kenta Nagata)
• Wii Fit (2007) - Music (w/Manaka Tominaga, Shiho Fujii)
• Super Smash Bros. Brawl (2008) - Music Arrangement
• Wii Music (2008) - Music Composition (w/Kenta Nagata, Mahito Yokota)
• The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks (2009) - Music (w/Manaka Tominaga, Asuka Ota, Koji Kondo)
• Steel Diver (2011) - Music (w/Atsuko Asahi)
• Mario Kart 7 (2011) - Sound Support
• WaraWara Plaza (2012) - Music Composition, Sound Effects
• Wii U eShop (2012) - Music (w/Asuka Hayazaki)
• The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds (2013) - Guitar Recording [Note: uncredited; involvement confirmed via interview]
• Super Mario 3D World (2013) - Staff (Music) (w/Yasuaki Iwata, Koji Kondo, Mahito Yokota)
• Steel Diver: Sub Wars (2014) - Music Composition (w/Kenta Nagata, Atsuko Asahi)
• Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U (2014) - Music Arrangement
• Splatoon (2015) - Sound Director, Music (w/Shiho Fujii)
• The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess HD (2016) - Sound Supervisor
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (2017) - Music (w/Shiho Fujii, Atsuko Asahi, Ryo Nagamatsu, Yasuaki Iwata, Asuka Hayazaki, Kazumi Totaka, Koji Kondo)
• Splatoon 2 (2017) - Sound Director, Music

Voice

• Mario Power Tennis (2004)
• Mario Superstar Baseball (2005)
• Mario Super Sluggers (2008)
• Mario Party 10 (2015)
• Mario & Luigi: Paper Jam (2015)
• Mario Party: Star Rush (2016)

Song Credits

Mario Artist: Talent Studio

• Po Pi Pa Pi -- Composition & Arrangement

The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask

• Battle -- Composition & Arrangement
• Middle Boss Battle -- Composition & Arrangement
• Boss Battle -- Composition & Arrangement

Doubutsu no Mori / Animal Crossing

• K.K. Chorale -- Composition & Arrangement
• K.K. Bossa -- Composition & Arrangement
• K.K. Soul -- Composition & Arrangement
• Go K.K. Rider! -- Composition & Arrangement

Doubutsu no Mori e+

• K.K. Metal -- Composition & Arrangement

The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker

• A Giant Mysterious Bird Attacks -- Composition & Arrangement
• Battle -- Composition & Arrangement
• Forsaken Fortress Invasion 1 -- Composition & Arrangement
• Forsaken Fortress Invasion 2 -- Composition & Arrangement
• Forsaken Fortress -- Composition & Arrangement
• Reunion With Sister -- Composition (w/Kenta Nagata), Arrangement
• Rendezvous With the Ship 1 -- Composition & Arrangement
• Rendezvous With the Ship 2 -- Composition & Arrangement
• Second Maritime Battle -- Composition & Arrangement
• The Deku Tree's Crisis -- Composition & Arrangement
• The Deku Tree and Koroks -- Composition & Arrangement
• Ganondorf Battle -- Composition & Arrangement

Nintendo Sound Selection vol.1 Peach <Healing Music>

• Title (Animal Crossing) -- Melodica

Nintendo Sound Selection vol.2 Koopa <Loud Music>

• Oni Fortress -- Drums

Nintendo Sound Selection vol.3 Luigi <B - Side Music>

• K.K. Soul -- Composition & Arrangement, Drums

Yoshi Touch & Go

• Score Attack -- Composition & Arrangement

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess

• Wii Channel -- Arrangement
• Title -- Arrangement
• Ordon Village -- Composition & Arrangement
• Midna's Theme -- Composition & Arrangement
• Hyrule Field Main Theme -- Composition & Arrangement
• Light Spirit's Elegy -- Arrangement
• Kakariko Village -- Composition (w/Koji Kondo), Arrangement
• Death Mountain -- Arrangement
• Rutela's Theme -- Arrangement
• Lake Hylia -- Composition & Arrangement
• Boss Battle #3 -- Composition & Arrangement
• Midna's Lament -- Composition & Arrangement
• Sacred Grove -- Arrangement
• Malo Mart -- Composition & Arrangement
• Ilia's Theme -- Composition & Arrangement
• The Hidden Village -- Composition & Arrangement
• Final Battle #4 -- Composition (w/Koji Kondo), Arrangement
• Staff Credits Theme #1 -- Composition (w/Koji Kondo), Arrangement

The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass

• The Ghost Ship Appears -- Composition & Arrangement
• Tetra Boards the Ship -- Composition & Arrangement
• Link... Save Me -- Arrangement
• House -- Composition & Arrangement
• Linebeck's Theme -- Composition & Arrangement
• Astrid's House -- Composition & Arrangement
• Boss Theme -- Composition & Arrangement
• Sand of Hours -- Composition & Arrangement
• Sand of Hours Get -- Composition & Arrangement
• Spirit Joins -- Composition & Arrangement
• The She-Pirate, Jolene -- Composition & Arrangement
• Goron Island -- Arrangement
• Goron House -- Arrangement
• Bellum Battle -- Composition & Arrangement
• Linebeck's Struggle -- Composition & Arrangement
• Linebeck Possessed -- Composition & Arrangement
• Phantom Linebeck Battle -- Composition & Arrangement
• Ciela's Parting Words -- Arrangement

Wii Fit

• Wii Channel - Composition & Arrangement
• Plaza -- Composition & Arrangement
• Super Hoop -- Composition & Arrangement
• Advanced Step -- Composition & Arrangement
• Health - Composition & Arrangement
• Credits -- Composition & Arrangement
• Yoga - Composition & Arrangement
• Penguin - Composition & Arrangement

Super Smash Bros. Brawl

• Title (Big Brain Academy) -- Arrangement

Touch Generations Soundtrack

• Nintendogs Theme - Live Ver. (nintendogs) -- Drums

The Legend of Zelda: Spirit Tracks

• Title Theme -- Composition & Arrangement
• Aboda Village -- Composition & Arrangement
• Anjean's Theme -- Composition & Arrangement
• Chancellor Cole's theme -- Composition & Arrangement
• Byrne's Theme -- Composition & Arrangement
• The Tower of Spirits -- Composition & Arrangement
• Riding the Rails 2 (Main Theme) -- Composition & Arrangement
• Whittleton -- Composition & Arrangement
• Seabed -- Composition & Arrangement
• Linebeck's Theme -- Composition & Arrangement
• Hero of the Tracks -- Arrangement
• Song of Awakening -- Composition & Arrangement
• Song of Healing -- Composition & Arrangement
• Song of Discovery -- Composition & Arrangement
• Song of Birds -- Composition & Arrangement
• Song of Light -- Composition & Arrangement
• Game Over -- Composition & Arrangement
• Staff Credits -- Composition & Arrangement

Steel Diver

• Ammomite Battle -- Composition & Arrangement
• Challenge -- Composition & Arrangement
• Boss Challenge -- Composition & Arrangement

WaraWara Plaza (Wii U Home)

• Startup -- Composition & Arrangement
• Loading... -- Composition & Arrangement
• Home Screen -- Composition & Arrangement

Wii U eShop

• Shopping (Original) -- Composition & Arrangement
• Add Funds -- Composition & Arrangement

The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds

• Ballad of the Goddess (Milk Bar Musicians) -- Guitar

Super Mario 3D World

• World 4 -- Composition & Arrangement
• Sprawling Savana -- Composition & Arrangement
• Beep Block Skyway -- Composition & Arrangement
• Fuzzy Flood Mine -- Composition & Arrangement
• Hands-On Hall -- Composition & Arrangement
• Piranha Creeper Creek -- Composition & Arrangement

Super Smash Bros. for Nintendo 3DS / Wii U

• Smiles and Tears -- Arrangement

Splatoon

• Opening -- Composition & Arrangement
• Splattack! (Jam Session) -- Composition & Arrangement
• Splattack! -- Composition & Arrangement
• Ink or Sink -- Composition & Arrangement
• Seaskape -- Composition & Arrangement
• Kraken Up -- Composition & Arrangement
• Metalopod -- Composition & Arrangement
• Now or Never! -- Composition & Arrangement
• Victory! - Jingle -- Composition & Arrangement
• Victory! - Results -- Composition & Arrangement
• Defeat - Jingle -- Composition & Arrangement
• Defeat - Results -- Composition & Arrangement
• Hooked -- Composition & Arrangement
• Sucker Punch -- Composition & Arrangement
• Player Editor -- Composition & Arrangement
• Visiting Inkopolis -- Composition & Arrangement
• Inkopolis Tutorial -- Composition & Arrangement
• Plaza -- Composition & Arrangement
• Lobby -- Composition & Arrangement
• Dubble Bath -- Composition & Arrangement
• Splatfest - Theme Announcement -- Composition & Arrangement
• Splatfest - Final Results -- Composition & Arrangement
• Reward Jingle -- Composition & Arrangement
• Cap'n Cuttlefish's Theme -- Composition & Arrangement
• Octo Valley -- Composition & Arrangement
• Eight-Legged Advance -- Composition & Arrangement
• Tentacular Circus -- Composition & Arrangement
• Cephaloparade -- Composition & Arrangement
• Inkstrike Shuffle -- Composition & Arrangement
• Octoweaponry -- Composition & Arrangement
• Hero Mode - Onward! -- Composition & Arrangement
• Hero Mode - Splat! -- Composition & Arrangement
• Sunken Scrolls -- Composition & Arrangement
• I Am Octavio -- Composition & Arrangement
• Splattack! (2014 E3PV) -- Composition & Arrangement
• Testfire Title Screen - Composition & Arrangement [note: unused]

Splatoon 2

• Ink-oming -- Composition & Arrangement

Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

• Urchin Underpass -- Composition & Arrangement

External links

• Zelda Universe - An article by Toru Minegishi that first appeared in Nintendo Power
• Mobygames - Information on Toru Minegishi
• Square Enix Music Online - Information on Toru Minegishi